Rain showers this morning with mostly cloudy conditions during the afternoon hours. High 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..
Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Updated: April 10, 2026 @ 8:05 am
Flames erupt from Maureen Sherpa’s Eastside Road home, near Highline Drive, Friday afternoon. No one was hurt in the fire, and the owner’s dog was found safe underneath the RV at right.
Firefighter knocks down flames shooting from the north side of the home. Quick response enabled the firefighters to quell the blaze before it destroyed the rear portion of the home.
No one was injured in a house fire Friday that damaged a home on Eastside Road, two miles from Hood River.
The house is heavily damaged, but “still standing, with major damage to the west end, where the fire started,” said Greg Borton, chief of the Wy’East Fire District, which led the response.
“It’s going to have to be looked at for structural integrity,” Borton said. The fire started “from around the electrical panel on the front porch,” he said.
The homeowner, Maureen Sherpa, stated she heard loud noises and went outside and saw smoke coming from around the panel, according to Borton. Sherpa’s dog went missing when the fire broke out, but was found hiding under an RV parked just feet from the house.
The wooden-construction home was built “in the early 1900s,” and is occupied part of the year, Borton said. The electrical system had been installed decades ago by Sherpa’s father, an electrician for the Corps of Engineers, according to Borton.
Sherpa is now staying with her daughter in Portland.
“It was likely a short or a loose connection,” Borton said.
“We were lucky. With this type of house, to be able to get initial attack on it and stop it from taking the whole house to the ground,” Borton said.
The back part of the home, including the bedroom, bathroom and storage area, have smoke and water damage, but are intact. Borton said the fire “had good turnout from all the agencies.”
Responding with Wy’East were Hood River Fire and EMS, and West Side Fire Department, with Mosier Fire Department moving personnel and equipment to Highway 30 as backup in case of another incident. Hood River County Sheriff’s Office deputies also responded and controlled traffic on the rural road.
Firefighters were also able to tap into a hydrant located 50 yards from the house, at the intersection with Highline Drive.
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