Firefighters hampered by lack of hydrants as large fire burns homes in Springfield

Chris Beltran sat quietly in a lawn chair Sunday afternoon across the street from the smoldering rubble of his home on Kremont Avenue in Springfield.

Beltran had just stepped out of the shower when he heard a noise from his neighbor’s shed.

“It started making noises like a car accelerating,” he said. “I was standing there watching it, then there was an explosion – about 15-foot flames – and it spread to their house really quick.”

Beltran’s house was the next to burn in a fire that destroyed at least two houses on the corner of Kremont Avenue and Inland Way on Sunday afternoon, Eugene Springfield Fire Department reported in a news release.

Smoke billowed and could be seen across the Eugene-Springfield area as fire crews battled the large fire that involved multiple buildings. Fire crews responded to the fire shortly before 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Beltran remembers setting his cats Nosey and Artemis free before running out of the house as flames began to eat through the walls.

“I’m in shock – I know that,” he said.

At this time there are no reported injuries and the cause is under investigation, fire officials said in the release.

After making it out of the house safely Beltran was offered a chair and sat across the street and watched as the flames engulfed his house.

On the scene, firefighters were hampered by a lack of hydrants in the area and relied on water tenders to bring water to temporary storage tanks on site, according to the release. Lane County Fire Defense Board provided mutual aid water tenders from several area departments.

“The fire department couldn’t do anything because they didn’t have any water,” he said. “So anyway – I just watched them watch my house burn down.”

Fire officials announced the fire’s progress stopped around 1:30 p.m., but fire crews planned remain in the area for the rest of the afternoon. The public is asked to avoid the area of South 2nds Street near Dorris Ranch.

No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation, according to a press release.

The only access to the neighborhood, bordered by the Willamette River and Dorris Ranch, is Harbor Drive, which was closed by law enforcement to allow for access for fire vehicles.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Firefighters hampered by lack of hydrants as fire burns Springfield homes