The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

A massive fire at a shop east of Sisters consumed two rare cars and destroyed the structure early Wednesday morning, April 17. There were no injuries and firefighters kept the fire from spreading.

The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District responded to an early morning fire near the 67000 block of Fryrear Road near Sisters. Cloverdale fire officials reported that multiple callers indicated that there was a large building on fire with explosions. The first arriving crews found a large 40- by 60-foot shop fully engulfed in flames with ammunition and pressurized cylinders exploding.

Fire crews went into "defensive operations" to keep the fire from spreading due to the large amount of fire, nearby exposures, and the threat of more explosions, Fire Chief Thad Olsen reported. Fire crews had the fire under control within 40 minutes of the initial call. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to nearby structures and vehicles.

The building and its contents, including two rare classic cars, are a total loss. There were no reported injuries, and the fire is under investigation by the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office. Four fire engines, four water tenders, and 22 firefighters responded. Cloverdale fire District thanked Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, Bend Fire & Rescue, and Deschutes County Sheriff's Office for their response, as well as Black Butte Ranch Fire Department which covered both the Sisters and Cloverdale Districts while crews were on scene.

The fire resulted in an estimated $250,000 worth of damage.