November 25, 2011

4:09 PM

On Friday, November 25, 2011 at 7:06 am, Portland Firefighters responded to a multiple vehicle crash involving a semi-truck and two SUVs on NE Columbia Boulevard at Northeast 42nd Avenue. Firefighters on scene determined that one person was fatally injured in the crash and waited for the Portland Police Bureau's Traffic Division Major Crash Team to conduct an investigation.

"As our responding crew approached the vehicle most impacted by this crash, they saw car seats and shopping bags inside. We knew this was a young mother who had been out shopping on Black Friday morning. That made today's accident even more sobering and difficult for firefighters," said Portland Fire Battalion Chief Merrill Gontermann.

 

According to reports, around 7:00 am, a fully loaded semi-truck was traveling east on NE Columbia Boulevard near NE 42nd Avenue. The truck and one of the SUVs collided, causing the truck to slide sideways into another SUV driven by a 28-year-old female - the vehicle's only occupant.

Due to the impact of the truck and second SUV colliding, both vehicles traveled down Columbia Boulevard another 50 yards. At that point, the truck tipped onto its side, crushing the vehicle. Upon arrival, firefighters found the semi-truck driver uninjured and in shock. One occupant in the other SUV was also uninjured in the crash.

"We're firefighters. When we arrived at the scene, we wanted to save lives. There was nothing we could do for this young woman except wait for police to complete their investigation," remarked Gontermann.

After Portland Police completed their investigation around 1:45 pm, firefighters from North Portland (Kenton) Fire Station 8 went to work. Although their job would not result in a life saved, they worked with the conviction that it would give this young woman's family the opportunity to begin coping with her death. A tow truck lifted the truck off the SUV and firefighters began working with special tools, including the Jaws of Life, to carefully extricate the victim.

 

"As firefighters, we know life can change in a second. Responding to accidents like this is part of our job. And some days, it's a very sad job," said Portland Fire Captain Phil Dearixon.

Volunteers from the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) responded to the scene. Firefighters involved in responding to today's accident will receive the opportunity for any support services they may need in coping with this tragedy. Portland Fire & Rescue wishes to extend its deepest condolences to the family of the victim.

Portland Fire & Rescue

November 27, 2011

2:45 PM

Portland Fire and Rescue responded to reports of smoke inside the Interurban Tavern at 4057 N Mississippi Avenue at 9:54 this morning. When Portland Fire (Kenton) Station 8's truck and engine arrived at 10:00 a.m., they immediately noticed smoke coming from the roof vents. At 10:02 a.m., the Incident Commander asked for more firefighters to come help find and fight the fire they knew was burning somewhere in the building.

Firefighters entered the tavern with their hand-held thermal imaging camera and began searching for the fire. Firefighters could smell wood burning and they knew there was a fire somewhere hidden in the building. Truck 8's crew started punching or cutting holes in the walls where the thermal imaging camera was showing high heat while Engine 8's crew was hooking up their fire engine to a fire hydrant and dragging hose lines up to the second floor. Firefighters discovered that the fire had started in an outside wall of the building and traveled up through open spaces inside the wall to the attic where the fire grew bigger.

"When a fire is inside the walls of a building, it travels through the openings inside those walls and can spread quickly," said Portland Fire & Rescue Chief Robert Zavodsky.

The Incident Commander called for a 2nd alarm (additional firefighting crews) to assist in containing the fire and extinguishing it quickly. With the additional crews, they were able to stop the spread of the fire by 10:35 a.m. which enabled the Incident Commander to send most of the 2nd Alarm crews back to their areas within the city. However, two additional truck crews were kept on scene for a time to minimize the damage to the business. Fire crews did not leave the scene of the fire until 12:40 p.m.

PF&R's firefighting crews focus primarily on evacuating or rescuing residents. We don't want to have anyone hurt or injured by a fire. Our engine crews specifically focus on hooking up to hydrants, pulling hose lines to where the fire is located, and extinguishing the fire. Truck crews focus on opening up the interior of the building so that water can be sprayed onto the fire, cutting open the roof for ventilation and/or extinguishing the fire in the attic, and placing plastic over valuable contents to minimize water damage from fighting the fire.

"In this fire, the fire was in the walls and attic. Due to PF&R's truck crews opening up the right part of the wall and attic, engine crews were able to get water on the fire and stop it from spreading further and causing greater damage to the building," said Zavodsky.
Portland Fire investigators determined that the cause of the fire was electrical in nature.

The building and the contents in the building are valued at approximately $900,000 with a loss of approximately $100,000.

No one was hurt or injured by this fire. 

Portland Fire & Rescue

November 30, 2011

1:38 PM 

Portland Fire Investigators have determined the cause of a reported explosion that resulted in $15,000 damage to a downtown apartment at 314 NW 5^th Avenue on November 27th.  The occupant was preparing to cook tofu for dinner when grease in a pan overheated and ignited.

In attempts to extinguish the fire, the burning pan of grease was placed in a nearby sink where it made contact with water causing a sudden and extreme flare-up of flaming oil and massive steam production. The resulting high-pressure gases caused an over-pressurization of the studio apartment, pushing out the windows and activating a nearby sprinkler head by means of pressure.  The occupant sustained fire related injuries from the incident.

Fire Investigators say that although this is a rare event, similar incidents have been observed in other cities. 

Portland Fire reminds citizens to exercise caution when cooking and if you overheat a pan or a cooking fire does happen,

• Cover the pan and turn the stove off
• Only use baking soda or an approved extinguisher on the fire (no flour or water)
• Do not move a pan until cooled completely
• If a fire extends, or you are unable to immediately extinguish it, evacuate all occupants and call 9-1-1 immediately.   

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November 27, 2011

10:30 PM

Portland Fire and Rescue responded to a reported explosion at 314 NW 5th Avenue at 8:10 p.m. Engine 1 (Old Town) arrived at 8:14 p.m. to find glass and window frame material thrown across the street and sidewalk. The heat from the explosion activated one sprinkler head inside the apartment. Engine 1 called for assistance from Truck 1 to help shutting down the sprinkler system and protecting the resident's valuables from water damage. The one female adult occupant, who was in the apartment at the time of the explosion, suffered slight burns to her hand.  She was not transported to a hospital.  The apartment is uninhabitable at this time and the American Red Cross was contacted to assist the apartment residents with a place to stay.

The cause of the explosion is undetermined at this time.  The damage to the apartment building is approximately $15,000.00.

  Portland Fire & Rescue

Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) is working to prepare fire apparatus, equipment, personnel and stations for cold weather operations in anticipation of active weather this winter.

This month, PF&R’s Auto Shop has been busy installing studded tires on all front-line fire apparatus in order to improve tire-road friction in snow or ice conditions. Station captains have begun verifying the condition and fit of tire chains for all apparatus in their respective station.  Repair and replacement equipment is being inventoried, so firefighters can repair broken cables and chains in the field or replace with spares if necessary. Firefighters are also monitoring their apparatus’ antifreeze quantity and foam tanks if applicable.

PF&R encourages citizens to ready for winter weather as well.  Every resident and business should be prepared for the worst possible conditions and take heed of severe weather warnings. Please take the time now to familiarize yourself with the Public Alerts Website. It’s an easy way to get regional travel information, road conditions or road closures, and transit disruption information.  

  Portland Fire & Rescue