HERMISTON — It was all hands on deck for Umatilla County Fire District 1 on Tuesday, Aug. 11, after a call came in at 4:59 a.m. about a house fire on West Ridgeway Avenue in Hermiston.

A crew of seven arrived from the fire station just down the road to find one home fully engulfed, a second home partially burning and multiple vehicles on fire. One resident of the first home also needed treatment for smoke inhalation after going back inside the home to try and rescue the family’s dogs, according to UCFD1 Chief Scott Stanton, and the district was called to a second, unrelated medical call as well during the fire.

In all, both homes, their carports and four vehicles burned. The patient with smoke inhalation was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center before being airlifted to another hospital, Stanton said. The other resident of that home got out safely, and the residents of the second house were not home at the time of the fire.

He said the district called for backup from volunteers and neighboring fire districts in Umatilla and Echo. UCFD1 had 18 people and four of its engines on scene, including the new engines the district recently purchased.

The cause is still under investigation. Fire Marshal Scott Goff estimated the total damage to the houses, contents and vehicles at $400,000, according to a news release.

UCFD1 responded to a record-breaking number of calls in July, and Stanton said they are on track for another busy month in August. On Tuesday evening, the district also responded to a major motor vehicle accident.

Stanton said the call came in at 7:10 p.m. A semitruck and mid-sized sedan had collided on Highway 207 next to the Space Age fuel station.

“The truck pushed the car clear into the parking lot, about 70 feet off the highway,” Stanton said.

Two patients were extricated from the vehicle and transported, and Stanton said the district had to use heavy equipment to free one of them.

He said as Hermiston grows, the district will need to look for opportunities to increase its staffing numbers.

“We’re starting to see way more often two to three calls at a time,” he said.

He encouraged area residents to consider contacting the district about becoming a volunteer firefighter.