Cornelius Resident Loses Life In House Fire (Photo)
- 07/08/26
At 7:42am on Wednesday July 8th, Cornelius Firefighters were dispatched to a reported house fire in the 1300 block of Baseline Street. The house has several adults living in it as transitional housing with each resident having a private room with shared common spaces. The first arriving fire unit found fire in the front corner of the house with reports that one of the residents was not accounted for. With the possibility of a rescue operation, a 2nd Alarm was dispatched to bring additional resources to the scene. While some crews started to extinguish the fire, other crews were performing a search for the potentially missing person. The fire on the main floor of the house was extinguished, but flames had spread in the walls to the second floor and attic space. The fire had intensified as it spread through the attic, compromising the roof structure. Due to potential roof collapse, fire crews were taken out of the structure for safety reasons and fought the fire from the exterior.
After getting a better handle on fire conditions, crews re-entered the structure and continued fighting the fire and searching for the potential missing person. Approximately 30 minutes after arriving, the missing individual was found in the house, deceased. Firefighters isolated the room and continued to fight the fire in the unstable roof area. Using ventilation holes cut early, a ladder truck was used to spray water in the attic area of the house without putting firefighters in danger of the unsafe roof.
It took firefighters approximately two and a half hours to fully extinguish the fire and hard to access hot spots. The structure sustained heavy damage and is no longer able to be inhabited.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Forest Grove Fire Marshal’s Office, Washington County Sheriffs Office and Washington County Medical Examiner. The identity of the deceased occupant is not available until next of kin can be contacted.
During the incident, a section of Baseline Street (eastbound Highway 8) was closed for almost four hours due to fire vehicles and hose lines blocking the roadway. Detours established by law enforcement and road crews were setup for the duration.
Cornelius Fire Department was assisted on scene from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Gaston Fire District, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, AMR Washington County, Washington County Sheriffs Office, Washington County Medical Examiner, Cornelius Public Works and Oregon Department of Transportation.
Cornelius Resident Loses Life In House Fire (Photo)
- 07/08/26
At 7:42am on Wednesday July 8th, Cornelius Firefighters were dispatched to a reported house fire in the 1300 block of Baseline Street. The house has several adults living in it as transitional housing with each resident having a private room with shared common spaces. The first arriving fire unit found fire in the front corner of the house with reports that one of the residents was not accounted for. With the possibility of a rescue operation, a 2nd Alarm was dispatched to bring additional resources to the scene. While some crews started to extinguish the fire, other crews were performing a search for the potentially missing person. The fire on the main floor of the house was extinguished, but flames had spread in the walls to the second floor and attic space. The fire had intensified as it spread through the attic, compromising the roof structure. Due to potential roof collapse, fire crews were taken out of the structure for safety reasons and fought the fire from the exterior.
After getting a better handle on fire conditions, crews re-entered the structure and continued fighting the fire and searching for the potential missing person. Approximately 30 minutes after arriving, the missing individual was found in the house, deceased. Firefighters isolated the room and continued to fight the fire in the unstable roof area. Using ventilation holes cut early, a ladder truck was used to spray water in the attic area of the house without putting firefighters in danger of the unsafe roof.
It took firefighters approximately two and a half hours to fully extinguish the fire and hard to access hot spots. The structure sustained heavy damage and is no longer able to be inhabited.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Forest Grove Fire Marshal’s Office, Washington County Sheriffs Office and Washington County Medical Examiner. The identity of the deceased occupant is not available until next of kin can be contacted.
During the incident, a section of Baseline Street (eastbound Highway 8) was closed for almost four hours due to fire vehicles and hose lines blocking the roadway. Detours established by law enforcement and road crews were setup for the duration.
Cornelius Fire Department was assisted on scene from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Gaston Fire District, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, AMR Washington County, Washington County Sheriffs Office, Washington County Medical Examiner, Cornelius Public Works and Oregon Department of Transportation.
