January 26, 2012

12:05 PM

At 1:55 am, Portland Fire & Rescue received reports of smoke and flames coming from a house on fire at 409 NE 126th. Upon arrival, Portland Fire Station 7 (Mill Park) encountered heavy fire inside the structure. Firefighters discovered a 5 foot by 5 foot hole in the floor that extended into the crawl space. The Incident Commander was concerned for firefighters' safety and stationed a firefighter to watch over the space to ensure that no firefighters were injured while battling the blaze.

Ladder truck crews cut a hole in the roof of the home to vent the heat, smoke, and flames and used forcible entry to open the garage door, allowing engine crews to bring the blaze under control in about 15 minutes.

It was determined that the home was vacant and undergoing an extensive remodel at the time of the fire. Fire Investigators are investing the fire's cause and estimate damage to the home to be approximately $75,000.

Photos and fire cause will be released as they become available.