Charging drone battery believed to be cause of Roseburg duplex fire on Silverado Court

ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Firefighters battled an early morning fire at an unoccupied Roseburg duplex after midnight Sunday morning in the Green District.

At 12:57 a.m. Sunday, Douglas County Fire District No. 2 was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 165 Silverado Court.

The first crew arrived at 1:03 a.m. from the Green Fire Station to find a duplex with heavy black smoke coming from the eves of the structure, officials said.

Fire crews were met in the driveway by the occupant of the other half of the duplex. She said that the occupant had gone out of town for the night and that no one was home, according to the report.

Crews made forcible entry through the front door and found the room heavily charged with smoke and fire burning in the front corner of the living room area.

The fire was extinguished with one hose line from the initial attack, officials said.

The fire had burned the floor and the floor joists. Inspection holes were cut to extinguish smoldering embers and to determine the extent of the fire spread.

The entire structure suffered severe smoke damage due to smoke traveling though some of the ductwork of the residence.

The fire was reported by the neighbor and fellow duplex resident when she noticed the smell of smoke. She went outside to investigate and found smoke coming out of the eves and from around the front door, the report said.

Fire Investigators believe the fire started in the area where a lithium battery for a drone was being charged, officials said.

DCFD2 responded incident with two fire engines and one command unit.

They were assisted by Winston-Dillard Fire District, Pacific Power and Light, and Avista Natural Gas.