PF&R Responds To Residential Fire In SE Portland (Photo) - 09/24/25
PF&R responds to residential fire in SE Portland
Portland Fire & Rescue along with our mutual aid partners to the south, Clackamas County Fire, responded to a residential fire involving two homes earlier this afternoon. The two homes actively involved in this incident immediately eelevated this incident to a 2nd alarm response with over 50 firefighters assigned to the incident. Approximately 30 minutes after the dispatch alert went out the fires in both homes were under control. There were no reported injuries, and 3 adults will be displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
At 2:40 PM, BOEC dispatched out reports of a residential fire in the Brentwood – Darlington Neighborhood of SE Portland. Initial reports were a home at the corner of SE 54 and Lambert was on fire with the fire extending into the yard and flames impinging on the neighboring home. The first arriving member of PF&R was an on-duty fire investigator in the area and confirmed there were two homes affected with one completely involved with fire and the flames beginning to extend into the neighboring home. The fire was immediately elevated to a 2nd alarm fire with 2 homes involved, placing over 50 members of PF&R and CCFD on scene or enroute to the incident.
The first arriving engine, Engine 25, focused their efforts on preventing the fire from extending to the neighboring home and took an offensive fire attack tactic, taking hose lines to the interior of the structure along with reducing the flames in the vegetation and objects between the homes. Engine 20, arriving second, took a large hose off their engine and performed the initial defensive fire attack on the primary fire home reducing the flames to prevent any further extension of the fire. The crew of Engine 25 eliminated the flames impinging on the second home quickly and were able to focus their attention on the primary fire structure.
The single story manufactured style home, with lots of fuel/objects within and surrounding the home, had significant fire showing and heavy dark smoke pushing out of any available window, door, or vent. Crews were able to apply water on the fire by entering doors on two sides of the home and eliminate the bulk of the flames on the single level home. Unfortunately, the fire had extended into the attic space above.
The flames present in the attic space compromised the roof structural members such there was significant roof sag that prevented the ability for truck crews to work safely on the roof to perform vertical ventilation. Crews were forced perform ventilation cuts on the gable end of the home to gain access to the attic space and eventually apply water to the flames. The construction style of this home had an elevated ceiling that placed structural members in locations crews were not conditioned to addressing making these gable end cuts a bit more challenging when compared to a tradionally constructure home. Once access to the attic space was achieved, the remainder of the fire was extinguished quickly, and many crews were able to pick up and leave to get back into service to respond to additional emergencies throughout the city.
There are three adults that Red Cross is assisting in the housing displacement. The cause of this fire is still under investigation but has been determined to be accidental in nature without a definitive cause known yet. PF&R would like to the Clackamas County Fire again for their assistance along with the dispatchers at BOEC, PPB, and the power company for their help in this incident.
It is important to note that while this second alarm fire was active, PF&R along with our partners to the east, Gresham Fire, responded to a large vegetation fire about a mile to the east that was quickly extinguished before any significant fire spread occurred. Additionally, PF&R responded to a larger vegetation fire in the Irvington Neighborhood where 4 rigs were dispatched to address. This second larger vegetation fire was successfully extinguished by the first arriving engine but without 31 fire stations strategically placed throughout the city along with actively moving crews around for proper coverage when many are tied up on a single incident, many other responses can and will occur. PF&R is always thinking of our next emergency.
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