An early morning house fire in Bend, exacerbated by cigarettes, has led to the displacement of eight people and caused significant damage to a piece of local history, yesterday. The blaze, which ravaged a 104-year-old home Wednesday, drew emergency crews to a frantic scene just before 5:30 a.m., as reported by KATU News.

The inferno took firefighters around four hours to extinguish. Initial investigations suggest the fire was the result of improperly discarded cigarettes in a container on the home's front deck. Despite smoke being detected the prior evening, it was mistakenly attributed to potential wildfires in the area. According to details from Central Oregon Daily, the residence, having served as a care home in its storied past, incurred damages estimated at $600,000—$400,000 to the structure, and $200,000 to its contents.

In a silver lining to a grim event, all the residents managed to escape unharmed, with one individual awakening to the scent of smoke and rousing other inhabitants. "This could have been a far different outcome had one of the tenants not awakened to the smell of smoke," said Bend Fire in a statement.

Regrettably, the property's smoke alarms were found to be non-functional during the incident. The Red Cross is currently providing assistance to those affected by the fire. While the material loss stands significant, especially given the house's age and historical significance the community is reminded of the precariousness of safety measures and the importance of functional fire detection systems.