The crematorium building burns Friday at Deschutes Memorial Gardens.

Several human remains stored at Deschutes Memorial Gardens in Bend were destroyed Friday night when an electrical fire burned down a crematorium building.

Staff members are determining how many remains were lost and how many can be recovered, said Cindy Kettering, deputy fire marshal for Bend Fire & Rescue.

“I know there were remains inside each of the two cremation chambers and I know they also had a few remains in urns that were on the shelf in that building as well,” Kettering said.

The owner and general manager of Deschutes Memorial Gardens were unavailable for comment Saturday.

Bend fire crews responded at 11:23 p.m. Friday and found the 1,200-square-foot building engulfed in flames. The fire spread to nearby trees and vegetation on the property off U.S. Highway 97 near Grandview Drive and Clausen Drive.

The building was destroyed. The total loss is estimated at $125,000 for the building and $275,000 for the contents inside, according to the fire department. Contents included machinery and equipment.

An investigation found the fire was an accident and caused by the failure of the main electrical panel inside the building.

Since the building was completely destroyed, crews focused on preventing the fire from spreading to more trees and brush in the area.

The firefighting effort was delayed due to natural gas venting from a fire-damaged gas meter.

Cascade Natural Gas arrived and was able to shut off the 2-inch gas line.

Fire crews were then able to fully extinguish the fire.