Portland Fire & Rescue
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News Releases
PF&R battles two SE PDX fires overnight - 03/19/24

PF&R battles two SE PDX fires overnight

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to two overnight house fires in Southeast Portland. Each fire is under investigation. No reported injuries to occupants or responding fire crews on either fire. With the fires located quite close to each other, crews were being released from the first residential fire to respond to and get assigned a duty at the second fire.

At just after 11 PM, PF&R responded to a residential fire in the Division – Clinton Neighborhood. Fire was to have reported to have started in an exterior shed and then extended to the primary residence. When crews arrived, there was significant fire on the backside of the home. Crews were directed to address the exterior fire first to prevent any further exposure fires to surrounding structures. Crews then went interior of the large 2 ½ story residence with a basement with multiple hose lines to address the interior fire on the elevated floors. With the large home and fire that had worked its way from the second story to the ½ story attic addition, crews were interior for extended periods of time. Crews were required to switch out at the end of the nozzles on multiple occasions due to their protective air bottles running low on available air with the extended interior work times. Roof ventilation crews were able to successfully cut holes for smoke and fire to escape and aid in the fire suppression below them. The fire was considered completely extinguished just after the 30-minute mark.

As crews were working on the first residential fire, a second residential fire was called in about 20 blocks to the east in the Richmond Neighborhood. Police on scene confirming smoke is present coming from the structure and that all occupants are out safely. With all the crews that would normally respond to this location tied up at the first fire, the arriving responders were coming from a bit further away than under normal conditions. Crews unassigned at the previous fire were also redirected to respond to this second incident. 

Crews arrived to have smoke pushing out from the second story and an offensive fire attack was directed by the chief in command. Crews were also directed to search the structure and gain access to the roof for ventilation purposes. In just under the 10-minute mark, the crews had the fire extinguished with the search confirming all occupants were out of the structure and the roof crews were able to ventilate aiding in the firefighting activities below them. An investigator requested with no obvious cause to the firefighters on scene.

There were no reported injuries in either fire. An unknown number of individuals and pets are going to be relocated at this time.

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PF&R Has a Busy St. Patricks Day Weekend - 03/18/24

First Responders were kept busy during this warm holiday weekend. Firefighters responded to a number of incidents, some of the more significant were:

-Early yesterday morning crews went to a 2nd alarm apartment fire that displaced people in five apartment units. No injuries were associated with this fire, but as the fire was brought under control a shooting in the area forced fire commanders to release one engine and crew from the fire to respond to the shooting. The victims of the shooting reportedly suffered injuries that didn't appear to be life-threatening.

-Yesterday a separate fire burned interior contents in a home when a burning candle reportedly came into contact with curtains and bedding. While the fire was extinguished quickly, one person suffered 1st and possibly 2nd degree burns. 

-A medical event in Forest Park necessitated a rescue by crews using ATV's and 4-wheel drive fire vehicles to bring the victim out. The victim is expected to recover.

These events are in addition to the always numerous smaller fires, vehicle crashes, medical and other emergencies that responders deal with daily.

This weekend served as a primer for responders and should be a reminder for the public that as things slowly heat up there are things that you can do to help us to keep you safe, here are a few:

Window Safety: Remember as weather warms a breeze can be nice, but those big open windows can pose a fall hazard for children. Keep climbable furniture well away from windows and keep windows closed and locked if small children are present. Remember screens keep bugs out, not people in. If you have auxiliary locks on your windows please ensure that they can be easily removed in the event that your family needs to escape a fire. Here are some tips from the National Safety Council:

https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/child-safety/window-safety-week

Hiking: If you’re going out to enjoy Forest Park or any of our other beautiful PNW natural areas please plan ahead with safety in mind. Let people know where you’re going and when you’ll return. Take your cell phone, even though you hopefully won’t use it, in an emergency it can allow responders to locate you more quickly. Lastly pack emergency equipment, what you need will depend on where you’re going. Here are some additional tips from our partners at the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue:

https://www.mcso.us/divisions/law-enforcement/search-rescue#ten-essentials-for-hiking

Backyard Barbeques and Fire Pits: We hope you’ll make safety the biggest consideration when burning outdoors. Only burn in specially designed and approved containers; these may be BBQ grills or fire pits with metal lids and or spark containing screens. While that fire pit might be a fun way to keep the party going, your neighbors may be elderly or have small children and they might not enjoy the smoke that’s blowing into their windows, consider limiting the time that you burn. Lastly, make sure to properly dispose of ashes in a metal container and store it well away from anything that could burn.

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/fire/article/405003

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Portland Fire Responds to 2 Alarm Fire & Shooting Nearby (Photo) - 03/17/24

Portland Fire responded to reports of a fire in a dumpster between two buildings right after midnight at 1923 NE Schuyler St. Crews arrived to find a 2 story apartment building flanking either side of the dumpster with approximately a dozen units in either building.  The fire was able to travel up the siding and into the attic space of both buildings. Crews made quick work of extinguishing the fire by performing agressive work on the roof and getting hose lines in place. By cutting multiple holes in the roof they were able to keep fire damage to only a few units, and saved many.  There were no injuries to any occupants, however many will be displaced due to the incident as there at least five uninhabitable units. Red Cross is working with these individuals. Fire investigators are on scene to determine the cause of the fire. 
 

As this incident was happening and crews were still working to put out hotspots, a shooting happened nearby in the area of NE 15th and NE Broadway. Portland Fire had crews in staging waiting to work on the fire if they were needed but were able to release Engine 14 to render medical aid to the shooting victim.  The individual was transported to the hospital with injuries.