Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a report of a fire at N. John Avenue between N. Hudson Street and N. Smith Street at 11:07am this morning.  Upon arrival, crews found 3 structures on fire - 2 houses and 1 garage. Conditions were made difficult and potentially harmful for firefighters by the fact that live exterior power lines were down on the ground. 

A second alarm was called at 11:11am bringing 50 firefighters to the scene with 12 pieces of apparatus (trucks, engines and equipment). 

All occupants made it out of the structures safely and there were no injuries.  Firefighters rescued a dog from the basement of one of the homes and used a pet resuscitation mask to successfully revive the dog.  The fire was recalled at 11:46am.

Portland Fire & Rescue Investigators have determined that the cause of this fire was from ashes in a plastic bucket that was placed too close to a structure and caught it on fire. 

The house at 9116 N John St. is valued at $225,000.  Total loss to that structure is $100,000 in structural damage with $75,000 in contents damage.  The house at 9124 N. John St. is valued at $200,000.  Total loss to that structure is $50,000 in structural damage with $10,000 in contents damage.

Portland Fire & Rescue reminds citizens to always dispose of ashes in a safe manner by placing them in a metal container at a safe distance away from any structure.