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@pdxfire
PF&R Responds to second alarm apartment fire in Downtown PDX
Portland Fire & Rescue responded to an apartment fire in downtown Portland near the intersection of SW 10th and SW Salmon. With fire showing out of a west facing window upon arrival, the command officer requested a second alarm assignment. With the number of apartments in the building and the time of day, there may have been a significant need for increased workforce present to both extinguish the fire and evacuate the building. The fire was extinguished quickly with no extension into the structure. An occupant was evaluated for possible smoke inhalation but denied medical need for transport. There will be one occupant displaced because of the fire.
At 8:00 PM, PF&R was dispatched to a possible apartment fire in downtown Portland. The first arriving officer noted fire showing out of a what was reported to be a 3rd story window and immediately requested a second alarm assignment. This takes the initial response of 26 members and doubles it to have just over 50 members of Portland Fire on scene or enroute to the incident. The command officer directed the crews to perform an offensive fire attack which is to take fire hoses interior and extinguish the fire. The inhouse fire sprinkler system kept the initial fire in check and the crews quickly extinguished the fire using hose lines stretched from the pumping engine, into the building, up the stairs and to the fire room. The fire was extinguished and all occupants either safely out of the structure or safely sheltering in place as directed by command during the fire within 20 minutes of the call be dispatched out.
With a large apartment complex and the time of day, there was a possibility of many needed rescues if the fire grew outside the initial occupancy. Many of the first arriving companies were assigned a function of resident safety to be certain all occupants were safely able to get out of the structure. In the process of evacuating residents, a member of PF&R found an individual overcome with smoke in a stairwell. The firefighter took off their mask, placed it over the face of the struggling resident and escorted them out of the structure allowing the resident access to the fresh air from their breathing apparatus. This was the resident evaluated for possible smoke inhalation, but as previously noted, denied medical need in the end.
Portland Fire & Rescue would like to remind you to have multiple exits planned from your home or living structure. If you encounter heavy smoke in a stairwell, know where another is located as this may be the safest exit of the building.
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