At around 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning, firefighters responded to a residential fire that broke-out near to the Beaverton-Hillsboro border, on the 300 block of Northwest Gina Way.
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue arrived 4 minutes after being dispatched. When firefighters arrived, they found a 3-story apartment and smoke visibly coming out of all 3 stories of the building. Firefighters quickly evacuated the building and saved 2 residents who were trapped inside. The rescued residents were treated by paramedics for non-life-threatening injuries.
Additional firefighters arrived from Hillsboro Fire & Rescue as well as Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVFR) to assist the first responders. The fire was finally put-out around 2:41 a.m. and was monitored for several more hours to ensure that the fire was fully extinguished.
Overall, 3 apartments were damaged from water, smoke and fire. A TVFR fire investigator who evaluated the damage concluded that the root cause of the fire was an unattended candle that was left lit on an apartment balcony.
According the TVFR, 56% of fires caused by candles are because flammable objects are too close to the flame. TVFR officials recommend that candles remain at least one foot away from flammable items at all times, and that candles are blown out before going to sleep and before leaving home.
