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@pdxfire
At 5:20am a mail delivery person saw sparks and smoke coming from the roof of a home at 14000 block of SW Ridgeview Ln, called 911 and alerted the home owners by knocking on their door. When PF&R and Lake Oswego Fire Department crews arrived they found heavy amounts of fire and smoke from the rear of the home. All residents including two adults one child and three cats made it out safely with no injury. This was a large home and presented some difficulty for fire crews before they were able to completely call the fire under control just after 6:00am.
A fire investigator from the PF&R Fire Investigations Unit was sent to the scene and determined that the home owner had placed an electric smoker with a Thanksgiving Turkey too close to the home. He estimates the overall damage at approximately $75,000.
Portland Fire & Rescue would like to remind residents to have a fun and safe Thanksgiving but please be safe:
- Make sure outdoor cooking devices are on a non-combustible surface and away from home siding, decking or overhead combustibles.
- Always use proper cooking trays that account for the large amount of grease that comes from turkey cooking.
- Never leave your cooking device unattended
- Never attempt to cook a frozen or semi-frozen turkey. This causes a hazard no matter what your cooking method is.
- Keep track of small children near your cooking area.