Portland Fire Responds to Residential Fire in Hollywood Neighborhood.
At just after 4 PM, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a possible house fire in the Holly..."> Portland Fire Responds to Residential Fire in Hollywood Neighborhood.
At just after 4 PM, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a possible house fire in the Holly..." /> Portland Fire Responds to Residential Fire in Hollywood Neighborhood.
At just after 4 PM, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a possible house fire in the Holly... ">
August 08, 2023 17:35
Portland Fire Responds to Residential Fire in Hollywood Neighborhood.
At just after 4 PM, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a possible house fire in the Hollywood Neighborhood near the intersection of NE Sandy and NE 46th Avenue. With a strong black smoke column rising into the sky, crews knew there was an active fire and were prepared upon arrival. There were reports from our dispatch center upon arrival that the fire was believed to have started on the back deck and had extended into the home. The fire was extinguished with no reports of any injuries in a 15-minute period after arrival.
PFR arrived at a structure with fire showing on the driveway side of a single-story home with a basement. An offensive fire attack, dictating an interior use of crews and hose lines, to suppress the flames was directed by the command officer. A nearby hydrant established a successful water supply early in the incident. Hose lines were taken into as well as around to the back of the house to apply water by engine companies while truck companies used chain saws on the roof to allow for the smoke and heat to escape into the atmosphere.
Interior crews reported light smoke and little heat present on the main level and basement indicating an active attic fire. Crews began to use long tools to pull ceiling and gain access to the attic space to apply water from the interior. The exterior crews eliminated the bulk of the fire on the backside of the house to reveal that the entire back deck had burned through and would not safely hold the weight of anyone on the scene. Emergency traffic tones captured the attention of crews on scene with the information of the status of the deck broadcasted on the working radio channel of the dangerous condition present. As fire continued to impinge upon the electrical drop line, the connection ruptured resulting in a live power line on the ground with crews were working nearby. The area was cordoned off with safety tape and another emergency message delivered to all crews working and monitoring the active radio channel.
The heat from the fire was able to gain access to the main floor with the ceiling pulled that activated the in house residential protective fire sprinklers that were not yet flowing as all the heat and flames in the attic space were above the ceiling level sprinkler heads. With the introduction of heat from the attic through the newly created access holes in the ceiling, the sprinkler heads began to flow water into the area of the home that did not have any active fire. A request to turn off the house water supply at the street was made to prevent any additional and unnecessary water from flowing onto the floor and eventually being captured in the basement.
After multiple holes were cut in the roof and crews working safely around the dropped and active power line, the fire was completely extinguished. There were no reported injuries to any responder and all occupants were out of the house at the time of the fire. This home was reported to be a short-term rental and it is unknown if anyone will be displaced because of the fire and water damage. Portland Fire Investigations Unit is on scene establishing a cause of the fire.
Portland Fire would like to thank the power company for their quick response and cutting off power to the drop line, allowing a safe working space for the firefighters on scene along with our partners at BOEC for assisting in monitoring communication along with connecting with the utility companies. PFR would also like to commend the efforts of the homeowner for installing an interior residential sprinkler system for protection purposes. Unfortunately, the attic space did not have a sprinkler system installed so this fire was able to spread throughout the entire attic space prior to the arrival of any PFR crews, ultimately resulting in significant fire and water damage.
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