The first of many calls to 911 began at 6:25 a.m. this morning reporting a hectic scene with heavy fire and smoke coming from an upstairs area of a two-story apartment at 746 SE Cedar Street. Neighbors reported seeing flames coming from the windows and billowing dark grey smoke. Rescue 1 responding in tandem with Engine 1 reported seeing a black smoke header while responding to the call. Given that information, the call was upgraded to a first alarm to bring additional firefighting resources to the incident.
The first fire engine arrived within three minutes and immediately initiated an attack on the fire while firefighters from the second engine company searched the home for occupants. The fire extended into the attic with smoke showing from the eves across the entire apartment building. Early reports to responders indicated that smoke alarms sounded and that everyone in the affected unit was able to escape safely and residents in the adjacent units were also reported safe. Crews searched all units to confirm no occupants were inside. Four adults, five children, and two pets were in the unit when the fire started. No injuries were reported.
A Hillsboro Public Safety Chaplain responded to the fire to coordinate support with the American Red Cross for the nine displaced residents and two dogs. Residents in the other three units of the building were able to go back to their apartments after the fire was extinguished and deemed safe to re-enter. There were four units in the impacted building with a total of 18 apartment units in the complex.
A Hillsboro Fire Investigator responded to the scene to investigate. The cause of the fire was determined to be combustible materials ignited by a baseboard heater. The fire was mostly contained in one unit with some smoke and water damage to the immediately adjacent unit.
Hillsboro Fire and Rescue shared these safety tips for all community members:
- Smoke alarms can save lives. Test your smoke alarm at least once a month and practice your home family escape plan.
- Keep all combustible materials at least three (3) feet away from heat sources like baseboards and wall heaters.
- Many types of baseboard and wall heaters have freeze protection features that will automatically turn on the heater once the temperature drops below the lowest set point.
