On July 18th, just before 2:00 PM firefighters were called to an apartment on fire in SE Portland. When the firefighters arrived they noted heavy fire from the first and second floor of the apartment building, the fire eventually extended into the attic before it could be fully extinguished. This was a complex fire due to down power lines, the need to evacuate residents and the heavy volume of fire.
The incident commander immediately called for a second alarm on arrival to ensure that she had adequate resources available. The fire was extinguished within 45 minutes and no injuries were reported. One cat was rescued and reunited with its owner. It appears that 3-4 apartments will not be able to be lived in and the occupants will be assisted by the Red Cross or family members.
This fire started when the flame from a candle made contact with hanging clothing. Portland Firefighters ask for extra care when using candles and that you consider battery powered flameless options.
This was actually the second fire of the day where cats were saved, at 12:40 PM fire crews responded to the SE Lambert for a pile of clothing on fire in a laundry room. The fire was quickly extinguished, but not before firefighters rescued 6 cats. The incident commander said cats were running everywhere as firefighters worked to locate and bring them to safety. This fire was caught and extinguished early and the occupants will be able to safely stay in their home. No injuries were reported.
Just before 4:00 PM on July 18th, Portland Fire and Rescue crews responded to reports of an apartment on fire (7700 block of SE Mitchell). When they arrived firefighters found an apartment on fire with other structures threatened. The crews searched to ensure no one was trapped and worked to extinguish the fire. No humans were injured and one dog escaped, but sadly firefighters found a deceased cat in the fire. The fire was extinguished, but the apartment is no longer safe to occupy. The occupants will be helped by family or the Red Cross. The cause of this fire hasn’t been released yet.
On July 19th, at 3:55 AM firefighters were called to an apartment on the 9000 block of SE Division. Fire crews arrived and found a community laundry room on fire. The fire was also burning up the wall of an adjacent apartment unit. Firefighters evacuated residents and worked to extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported, but four people and a dog were displaced due to smoke and water damage. This fire was extinguished quickly and a Portland Fire Investigator is on scene working to determine the cause.
