Veneta (KMTR) – A foster home for boys in Veneta is no stranger to fire; it's happened twice now. What owner Cheryl Hogue learned after first fire saved the home again, recently.
The first happened back in 1999. Soon after, the local fire marshal rallied the community to donate a sprinkler system. Twin Rivers Plumbing supplied the plumbing and Omlid and Swinney Fire Protection and Security installed the sprinklers.
Earlier this week, the house caught on fire again.
In the room where the fire started, burn marks go up the wall from a corner. A sprinkler head was activated and it put out the fire within minutes.
“The firemen said immediately it saved our home,” Hogue said. “It saved our home that day, but it has given me piece of mind every day since that incident.”
Cheryl Hogue was thankful when the community came together to donate the sprinkler system, but she never thought she would need it.
Most of the damage was to a fish tank and some speaker equipment in the corner where the fire started.
The home’s location also has a lot to do with this story. The Hogues live in a rural area served by a volunteer fire station. That means fire response takes a little longer, so small fires can easily become big ones by the time help gets there.
In this case, the fire was out by the time the firefighters arrived.
