Portland Fire Responds To SE PDX House Fire With A Flashover Incident (Photo) -04/09/25

At 1046 this morning, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a possible residential fire in the Foster Powell Neighborhood of Southeast Portland. There were reports from the dispatch center of a possible house fire on SE 65^th with “lots of gray smoke” coming from a home midblock.

The first arriving apparatus of four members, Truck 25, had redirected themselves from a low-acuity medical call to respond to this fire and arrived in front of the other five responding apparatus on this incident. The officer reported heavy gray smoke was present and pushing out of the front of the home. With a few vehicles out front, crews were concerned with a need for imminent rescue and the truck crew made entry into the home to initiate a search as the first arriving engine, Engine 25, arrived to assume command. This allowed the truck officer to join their crew to have a full complement of members to search the small yet heavily cluttered home.

The engine company began to stretch hose lines to the home with a need to get water onto the fire present. Additionally, members were running hose from the engine to the fire hydrant to establish a water supply to allow for a continuous availability of water on this incident. As hose lines were being put in place at the entry, the front room of the home experienced a flash over, where the smoke and aerosolized fuels simultaneously reach their ignition temperatures leading to a rapid spread across an enclosed area. In this case, members of the search crew were in the area and affected by the explosive action. Although the crew had properly donned their protective clothing that covers members from head to toe, one of the members received a minor burn to an ear through the protective hood worn while working in areas of Imminent Danger to Life and Health (ILDH).

With the truck crew affected safely out of the structure, other firefighters continued move hose lines on the interior to apply water on the fire which was now present on both living floors of the home. Additionally, hose lines were added in play from the exterior of the home to apply water through open windows. With the fire reported to be knocked down on the second level of the home from crews on the interior, the command officer reported heavy fire now on the front porch. Crews drew hose lines to the porch and began to extinguish this body of flames now present.

While crews worked to cool and extinguish on the interior, a second truck crew assigned to this incident focused their efforts on cutting holes in the roof to release the hot gasses and smoke trapped in the home. Upon the arrival of members in the “on-the-job” training phase of their careers from our training academy, they quickly joined the members on the roof to join in cutting more holes to increase the number of holes on the roof to allow a better working environment for those on the interior. This addition of the training station placed 32 members on scene working along with additional command staff present for the safety of those working to extinguish the flames.

Shortly after the 10-minute timer was broadcasted to the crews from BOEC the fire was reduced to safe levels eliminating the concern of the flames consuming the home and spreading to neighboring structures. With a 10’ distance between homes, it is critical the flames are reduced to eliminate the threat of the fire spreading to neighboring homes and keeping the overall damages as small as possible.

Portland Fire would like to thank the assistance provided by BOEC in managing the communication on this incident. Additional thanks to PGE for responding to remove the electricity actively coursing through the home by disabling the drop line on the exterior while crews were still working at extinguishing the flames. The PF&R Fire Investigations Unit is performing a forensic evaluation of the home in hopes of determining a cause of the blaze.

Portland Fire Logistics, Safety, and Clothing Officers are examining the protective clothing of members who experienced the flashover to evaluate if these items of protective clothing can be considered safe for use in the future or will need to be replaced. The firefighter who experienced burns to the ear is currently receiving the appropriate level of care given the extent of this minor injury.

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PF&R Participates In The Red Cross "Battle Of The Badges" Blood Drive 3/25 & 3/26 (Photo) -03/24/25

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local heroes face off in ‘Battle of the Badges’ Blood Drive

Donors invited to give blood to support Portland’s first responders on March 25^th and 26^th

 [PORTLAND, MARCH 24, 2025]

Portland’s first responders are teaming up with the American Red Cross to save lives at the first annual Battle of the Badges blood drive.  The event will take place at Portland Fire Station 1 at 55 SW Ash St, Portland, OR, 97204, March 25^th and 26^th, between 8:30am and 2pm.  

The blood drive comes at a critical time.  Extreme weather disasters in the past few months have caused the cancelation of hundreds of blood drives, leaving 25,000 units uncollected across the country. In Oregon and SW Washington, 40 drives have been canceled with 1,200 units going uncollected. Despite these challenges, patients still depend on blood donations every day.

“Every 2 seconds someone in this country needs blood and first responders know firsthand how critical it is to have blood readily available in emergencies,” said Red Cross Regional Donor Services Executive Angel Montes.

Battle of the Badges is a friendly competition between Portland Fire & Rescue, Portland Police Bureau and Multnomah County Sherriff’s Office. The blood drive encourages residents to join local first responders to help save lives. Donors at the blood drive will vote for their favorite agency before they donate, and the winning team of first responders is announced at the end of the drive.

“Portland Fire & Rescue challenges you to join us in our first Battle of the Badges blood drive,” says Interim Fire Chief AJ Jackson. “We’ve accepted the American Red Cross challenge to help save lives and we invite you to join our friendly competition with our fellow first responders.”

“Donating blood can save lives,” PPB Chief Bob Day said. “Sponsoring the Battle of the Badges Blood Drive alongside the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Portland Fire & Rescue, and American Red Cross is a reminder that our role in the community extends far beyond responding to emergencies. It’s about being part of the solution and contributing to the health and well-being of those around us. I understand this as my late son who battled cancer was a beneficiary of blood donations. I implore everyone who can donate to do so.”

Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell said, “As law enforcement professionals, we witness firsthand the critical need for blood in life-or-death situations. From car crashes to medical emergencies to natural disasters, blood donations are vital to saving lives. I encourage everyone to take the time to donate—your contribution could be the one that makes all the difference when someone’s life is on the line.”

All presenting donors at the blood drive will receive A1C Testing + $10 Amazon.com Gift Card (March 1-31, 2025)

+ Battle of the Badges t-shirt for every presenting donor *while supplies last!

To make an appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), visit redcrossblood.org or use the Blood Donor App.

About the American Red Cross:

About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood and is the primary blood supplier to 65 hospitals throughout Washington and Oregon; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members, and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.

Portland Fire Responds To Residential Fire With Occupant Rescued By Construction Workers (Photo) -03/17/25

Portland Fire responds to residential fire with occupant rescued by construction workers

At 9:24 AM Portland Fire was dispatched to a possible residential fire in the Hazelwood Neighborhood. The initial report was a possible house fire being called in from an adjacent property but unconfirmed based on an obstructed view.

Truck 7 arrived to find smoke visible from the eaves of a single-story home that had another residence in front blocking the view of the officer preventing a great view of the structure in question. The truck officer reported there was a medical victim in the front yard which prompted a request for an ambulance to the scene and then transferred command to the arriving battalion chief. The crew from T7 made their way to the back side of the house and noticed significant fire coming from the home. They made entry through a window and isolated the fire to a single room by removing a door from an adjacent bedroom and placed over the door opening of the room full of flames to prevent the fire from extending into the remainder of the home.

The command officer, based on reports from the crews inside, directed a hose line to the interior of the home and an additional fire attack hose line to the back side of the home to extinguish the flames. Crews on the interior extinguished the flames and then used the hose line to perform hydraulic ventilation which is where a stream of water is used to draw the smoke and heat out of the structure. This was required as the fire had extended into the attic by this time and the roof over the top of the fire room was compromised and weakened to the point it would not hold the weight of a firefighter. This structural compromise prevented crews from performing cuts in the roof to allow for vertical ventilation which is a tactic often performed in situations like this. This ventilation is critical to allow for the smoke and heat to escape the area of fire, providing the firefighters on the interior a better working environment to further suppress and extinguish the flames. The fire was completely extinguished within 10 minutes of arrival.

During the extinguishment process, a medical evaluation was performed on the occupant and due to the nature of soot around the mouth along with some other considerations the ambulance crew along with a paramedic from Portland Fire chose to transport the patient code 3 (lights and sirens) to the hospital for higher level medical care. The reports from the PF&R paramedic that the patient was in stable condition upon arrival at the hospital and all vital signs looked promising.

Through interviews of bystanders, it was discovered that 2 construction workers across the street noticed the smoke, called 911, knocked on the door of the front house to alert the occupant of a fire. This occupant indicated there was a second home on the property so the three quickly made their way to the other residence and opened the front door to have thick smoke rolling out above their heads and the occupant visible through the smoke crawling toward the front door a few paces away. These two workers made entry below the smoke and assisted in getting this occupant and dog safely out of the home prior to the arrival of any PF&R crews.

It should be noted that a working smoke detector was taken from the home chirping 15 minutes after the fire was completely extinguished. It is certain this smoke detector alerted the occupant to the issue and allowed them to begin moving toward the exterior of the home. Had this smoke detector not been in working order, the outcome of this fire could have been significantly different. Working smoke detectors save lives. Take the time to check your smoke detector regularly and replace if not functioning.

The occupant of the home will be displaced until repairs have been made to the home.

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