Fire Badly Damages 100 Year Old Barn In Cornelius

Cornelius, Ore. —  At 3:24 pm on Monday, March 27th, the Cornelius Fire Department was dispatched to a reported barn fire in the area of 36785 NW Long Road, located approximately one mile north of the Cornelius city limits. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a large two-story barn fully engulfed in flames.

The firefighters quickly sprang into action and stretched hose lines to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby structures. However, due to the location being in a rural area without fire hydrants, the firefighters had to utilize water tenders to bring water to the scene. This initially slowed the attack on the flames until enough units arrived on the scene from partnering agencies.

It took fire crews approximately an hour to extinguish the majority of the fire. However, firefighters spent several additional hours working on cooling down hot spots. This task had to be done from the exterior and at a safe distance due to an unstable roof. Unfortunately, the roof portion of the structure eventually collapsed.

At the time of release, firefighters are still on the scene and will remain throughout the night watching the scene. There will likely be smoke seen in the area. Fortunately, no firefighters or citizens were injured on the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The barn is approximately 100 years old and was built sometime around 1910. Cornelius Fire Department was assisted on the scene by Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Gaston Fire District, Banks Fire District, Metro West Ambulance, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office.