At 9:23 PF&R crews were sent to a residential house fire at 5811 SE Ramona. When Engine 25 arrived they found the home had heavy fire and smoke involvement. Once crews were able to evaluate the exterior of the home they realized the flames had extended to a neighboring home. Crews also had a fire victim who was brought out of the residence. Engine 25 upgraded the response to a 2nd alarm based on the complicated circumstances. During interior fire suppression efforts, members of Ladder Truck 25 experienced a partial floor collapse on the 2nd floor where they were working. The partial collapse and the massive fire spread within the building caused the Incident Commander to request a "withdraw" from the building so that it could be confirmed there were no firefighters injured.  Crews then started a "defensive" exterior fire suppression effort and applied hose lines from outside the home. Another complicating occurence was a natural gas line that had broken and was also on fire. With the fire involvement spreading in both homes and with crews in desperate need of relief and support, the Incident Commander decided to add a 3rd alarm assignment to the fire. The fire was considered under control at just after 11:00am. The next phase includes overhaul or clean up of the interior, extinguishing of hot spots and the arson investigation. There is no specific information on the one patient that was transported to the hospital. Fire investigators say the cause is still undetermined. The damage assessment is $150,000 on the primary house and $50,000 on the neighbors home.

Contact Info: Lt. Rich Chatman PIO, media pgr: 503-940-6003