Portland Firefighters Put Out Two SE Portland Fires Thursday Morning

Portland, Ore – Two fires broke out on the east side of Portland during the early morning hours at around 5 AM. Portland Fire swiftly responded to both incidents, one in the Parkrose Neighborhood and another in the Powelhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood. Fortunately, there were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported in either incident. The causes of both fires are currently under investigation.

The commercial fire occurred in the 11100 block of NE Sandy, where a converted commercial bus used as a storage unit was completely engulfed in flames upon the arrival of firefighting crews. The address also housed a 30’x30′ repair shop with a significant amount of large items and stored cars in the yard behind it. The close proximity of the bus to the structure raised concerns for the responding crews. Exterior water was deployed to suppress the flames on the bus while crews entered the structure to assess any potential interior fire extension. Despite dark smoke and minimal heat inside, crews discovered a small amount of fire extension to the roof decking. Firefighters accessed the roof and extinguished the flames using a hose line.

After successfully extinguishing the fire and finding minimal damage to the structure, crews began the process of overhauling the bus and reloading the hose used during firefighting operations. Meanwhile, as some crews were completing their work at the commercial fire, a residential fire was reported in Southeast Portland. Several firefighters redirected their route to their home station to respond to the residential incident.

The residential fire, located in the 12500 block of SE Bush, was swiftly extinguished by the first arriving crews. The fire was confined to an unoccupied room at the front of the house. The heavy interior clutter presented challenges in accessing the fire. Nevertheless, firefighters were able to locate and extinguish the fire within 10 minutes of the initial dispatch. Some residual smoke remained trapped in the home, requiring the opening of ceiling vents and the placement of a fan at the front door to facilitate ventilation and clearing of the smoke.

Both fires are currently under investigation, and no injuries have been reported for civilians or responding firefighters involved in either incident.