Just after 8:15 AM on April 18th, 9-1-1 received multiple calls reporting a fire and tapped out a single-alarm fire response in an industrial area of the St John’s Neighborhood in North Portland. Initial reports from callers stated that a large pile of wood products was on fire and that no homes or structures were threatened.
The first arriving engine and truck companies from St John’s arrived within six minutes of being dispatched. The Engine officer took command of the incident and reported a large pile of pallets and wood debris with fire near the top of the pile. Knowing this had the potential as an extended incident from the onset, the first due truck immediately set up its aerial ladder for an elevated water stream.
As additional units arrived, the first chief officer took command. Incident Command then assigned the on-scene resources to the following tasks: establish a water supply, recon the area to ensure no exposures were present, confirm all individuals were accounted for, confirm the best access to the different areas of the wood pile, and set up for additional aerial streams.
During the incident, water supply was a challenge due to the distance from the City of Portland hydrants and the private hydrants in the area. Because of this, the Incident Commander called for a second alarm response just before 9:30 AM. This brought additional fire response resources to the scene. Working with Portland Police and Portland Parks and Recreation, Fire crews had to shut down North Lombard for a portion of the morning and early afternoon to relay pump water to the scene.
Fire crews worked with site personnel who stated there were a lot of void spaces in the large pile of wood. Command sent a safety broadcast to fire companies on the scene so all personnel were made aware of this potential hazard. Site personnel then worked with fire companies to contain the fire. This was accomplished with the use of some heavy machinery and excavators that were already on site and were operated by the location’s employees.
With the fire contained and the material burning brought under control, Command began to release companies to go back into service. Three engines and three trucks will remain on the scene for an extended period to ensure extinguishment. A fire investigator was also called to the scene to assist in a fire cause determination. All traffic has been restored in the area. There were no injuries reported during this incident and no residents were displaced.
