Busy Morning For Portland Fire & Rescue (Photo)
-07/11/25
Busy Morning for Portland Fire & Rescue
Fourth Alarm Apartment Fire with a modified single family home fire quickly to follow
Portland Fire & Rescue was dispatched out to a multi occupancy fire at just before 6 AM earlier today. Reports from the dispatch center indicated heavy fire present with occupants of the apartment complex jumping from windows to safety. This fire was reported to be in the Hazelwood Neighborhood along Burnside near 104th Avenue. Dispatch updates as crews were enroute include “I have a caller on the line saying fire at their door” with others saying, “people are jumping from the second story windows” and “I have a caller seeing and smelling smoke from below and hearing lots of shouting”.
Portland Fire & Rescue Station 7, located approximately 25 blocks away, arrived to have heavy fire showing on a three-story apartment complex located at the north end of a parking lot approximately 150’ back from the street with people out at the street obviously injured. PPB Officers were already on scene clearing members of the community out of the working area for PF&R members to successfully focus on the work of rescue and suppression. Additionally, early communication from PPB Officers to crew members on scene directed firefighters to possible locations of rescue.
Engine 7 pulled into the parking area located behind a smaller structure at the street and pulled in as close as possible given the heavy fire present and filled the parking lot. Members of the crew began working toward establishing a water supply with E19 having triple ported a fire hydrant and connecting 2 hoses to provide the required amount of water needed to begin to suppress and cool the flames. A Triple Port set up allows for an additional hose line to be attached to hydrant to provide more water if needed. In this case the additional hose was not needed but a heads up move on the part of the water supply team to be forward thinking and prepare for the incident to get worse before it gets better.
Truck 7 quickly threw ladders to elevated windows with fire pushing out below them to affect rescue of occupants on the third level while also investigating the entire building to report information to the arriving Battalion Chief. As the rescues were occurring, members of Engine 7 grabbed large bore nozzle hose lines and began to apply water of the front of the complex, putting water into as many openings as possible, cooling and exitinguishing flames to provide safety for those remaining in the structure.
After establishing a water supply the members of Engine 19 were assigned to medical branch and began addressing the injured residents out at the street. There were two patients in need of medical attention at this time but the possibility of many more injuries led to command ordering 2 independent strike teams of ambulances totaling 10 AMR ambulances on scene or enroute to this emergency. One of the victims had jumped from an elevated position, injuring with a possible break of the ankle, along with partial thickness burns to the upper leg. The second occupant to be addressed medically early in the incident was reported to have smaller contact singe burns on their arm.
Once the initial reduction of flames occurred and early rescues were performed, many hoses were stretched to the structure and crews went interior to address the fire within the building. This building has 3 levels and 12 occupancies with the front 6 having much fire activity throughout. Burned wooden stairs led to clever use of ladders to be laid over the top of the burned treads from one landing to the next to successfully ascend from the ground level to the 3rd floor with hose lines.
As interior fire suppression activities happened, Truck 2 with new recruits supervised by their training specialists made rescue of 6 occupants trapped in elevated apartments. This real world “on the job training” opportunity will provide these newest members a great foundation of experience to build from throughout their careers.
As rescues and suppression efforts moved forward, dispatchers communicated to command there was a family trapped in their apartment located in an area unaffected by fire, but they were unable to safely exit to the street due to fire present in other areas of the building. Crews made contact, had them shelter in place briefly and then escorted them to the street, a safe distance from the structure. This speaks to the critical assistance on incidents like this from our public safety partners at the dispatch center along with the importance of sheltering in a safe place, if possible, behind closed doors but not hiding.
As crews were working toward suppression and rescue, the command officer elevated this incident to a 4th alarm assignment to ensure there was a large enough body of firefighters on scene to address the emergency. This draws close to 80 members from PF&R along with Gresham Fire to the scene leaving a large hole within the city. The PF&R Liaison Officer made the decision to move engines and trucks from areas of the city unaffected by this fire to move up into areas on the east side to ensure that all other emergencies that may occur during the time of this active fire would have a responder close by. Crews from downtown were placed out east, crews from SW were moved closer in, and crews from the north end were also brought into different stations to provide proper coverage of the city allowing us to manage the risk as best possible. There was also a crew from Lake Oswego Fire that moved up into a station in deep SW Portland to provide coverage.
The cause of this fire is still under investigation with the PF&R-PPB Fire Investigation Unit (FIU) having detained an individual for questioning. Any updates on the process of the investigation will be sent out as they come in. If you have any information regarding this fire, please contact 503-823-FIRE (3473).
There were 2 individuals injured in this fire. Along with the 8 humans rescued, PF&R also rescued 1 cat and 4 dogs. There will be at a minimum of 15 individuals displaced because of this fire with a possibility of an additional 16 because of structural damage and safe access to apartments. Red Cross has arrived on scene as is taking a lead on assisting occupants with relocation.
PF&R would like to thank all our partners in this incident as each was instrumental in providing us the assistance needed to safely address this fire. PPB aiding early on in helping in rescue and providing us a safe working area, Gresham Fire for their mutual aid response to the scene and Lake Oswego Fire in moving up into Portland to provide coverage, AMR for their assistance in medical triage and making transport as well as having 10 ambulances moving to the scene if needed along with Red Cross aiding in the relocation of occupants. Lastly it is important to mention the assistance from TriMet as they stopped the MaxLine trains running directly in front of this location as there were hose lines laying across the tracks from a secondary fire hydrant used and crews in and around the tracks working.
As crews were returning to their station to clean up from this early morning fire, another residential fire was reported in NE Portland in the Cully Neighborhood. Crews from Station 28 arrived to find a modified single-family home that now was divided up into 4 different occupancies with residents out in front with dark brown smoke pushing out under pressure and flames seen on the back side of the home.
A water supply was established and crews went to work suppressing the flames and extinguishing this fire. Crews that were moved up from downtown responded to this fire and performed work illustrating the importance of the Liaison Officer moving crews around to provide appropriate coverage in our response area.
Crews searched the structure, located all occupants, confirmed no one remaining in the interior and extinguished the fire quickly. No injuries were reported of resident or responder.
This fire was contained to one of the units in the back with a possibility of a front unit experiencing some damage as crews were investigating the attic space above for possible fire spread. This fire is under investigation and the cause is unknown. There will be 2 occupants displaced with the addition of another if the damage to the interior deemed unsafe for occupancy.
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Attached Media Files:
Building following initial knock down with firefighters entering the structure,
Crews working with a view of the ladder use in the stairwells to advance from the ground up to each landing.,
Another view of the clever ladder work.,
Areas of rescue,
The fire hydrant triple ported.,
Cully Neighborhood Fire,
Cully Neighborhood Fire,
Cully Neighborhood Fire,
Cully Neighborhood Fire,
Cully Neighborhood Fire,