An alert tenant living at 1049 SE Walnut Street in Hillsboro awoke to the smell of smoke early this morning. The tenant and her spouse quickly searched for a source and discovered a fire burning on the outside of their apartment.
They quickly evacuated their unit and made the first call to 911 at approximately 4:22 am. After calling 911, they promptly alerted neighbors to the fire to allow them to safely evacuate their units. The call was upgraded to a first alarm to bring additional resources to the incident.
Firefighters arrived within three minutes and extinguished the fire while other firefighters searched the units to ensure all residents evacuated safely. The fire extended into one unoccupied unit that was undergoing remodeling. Two units in total were affected that temporarily displaced two adults and three children. No injuries were reported. A Hillsboro Public Safety Chaplain responded to the scene to assist the affected residents.
A Hillsboro Fire Investigator responded to the scene to investigate. The fire investigation is ongoing, and no official cause has been determined.
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue was assisted by Cornelius Fire Department, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Hillsboro Police, and Metro West Ambulance.
