Even though firefighters – a lot of them – reached this home near Eastport Plaza quickly, see how devastating a blaze can be. And, learn what may have kept the fire from turning the home into a heap of smoking cinders …
While the results of the fire devastated this SE Portland home, prompt action by crews from four fire stations prevented a total loss of the structure.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The cold and damp weather of the mid-evening hours, November 7th, kept most nearby neighbors inside. They didn’t see the thickening plume of black smoke coming from the garage of the home in the 4600 Block of SE 85th Avenue.
“As fire companies approached SE 85th Ave. along Holgate St., near Eastport Plaza, they saw heavy smoke,” reported Portland Fire Bureau Battalion Chief C3 Erin Janssens. “Coming up the hill, firefighters saw the smoke pouring from the back of the residence, and saw fire had involved both the garage and the house.”
Quickly, crews from fire stations 11, 25, 19, and 29 pulled hoses, and started quenching the blaze.
The fire was out in less than 10 minutes after the firefighters arrived on scene, Janssens told us at the scene. “While the home was heavily damaged, firefighters kept the fire from extending into the attic, preserving the structural integrity of the home.”
By the time we arrived on-scene, the firefighters had extinguished the blaze and were packing up their gear.
Residential alarm summons help
Janssens said no one was home at the time of the fire; and the first calls reporting the blaze didn’t come from a neighbor. “What did alert us, at an early phase in the fire, was the homeowners’ residential alarm system.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
© 2006 David F. Ashton ~ East PDX News