Find out how an ordinary extension cord sparked a life-threatening fire in outer East Portland …
Through the smoky haze, after laddering up to the roof of this two-story residence, firefighters opened the roof and battled the remaining fire from above.
By David F. Ashton
Photos courtesy of Portland Fire & Rescue
A neighbor reported a house on fire near Lents Park, just after 5:30 a.m. on June 8th, with flames shooting up a large tree and into cars and the home, prompting a response from Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R).
Dispatchers at the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications sent crews from several outer East Portland PF&R stations a house fire at 4906 SE 87th Avenue at SE Liebe Street, a half block west of Lents Park, under “Incident 26-66495”.
First-arriving Lents company faces heavy fire and limited visibility
According to PF&R Public Information Officer Rick Graves, the first-arriving responders from Lents Station 11’s Engine Company and Rescue Unit spotted a heavy column of smoke as they approached, indicating a working residential fire. When Engine 11 pulled up, the fire at the front of the property was so intense that the officer could not immediately determine how large the house on the lot was. The initial radio report warned other incoming units of a “large body of fire in a home of unknown stories.”
After cutting a large hole for vertical ventilation in the roof, firefighters sprayed water down into the attic space.
Within moments, the Rescue 11 officer arrived and began a rapid 360-degree survey around the property, providing critical updates to the incident commander. At 5:44:39 a.m., that officer radioed an urgent message reporting a victim on the second story at the back of the house who was trying to escape. Less than a minute later, the officer requested a ladder to the rear of the structure so responders could reach the man on the roof.
Woodstock Station 25’s Engine and Ladder Truck Companies arrived as this information went out, and moved quickly to support the Lents crew. Firefighters secured a water supply from the nearest hydrant, while members assigned to Truck 25 grabbed a 20-foot ladder and headed for the rear.
Smoke lingers between the detached garage and the house after firefighters knocked down the early-morning blaze.
Resident climbs onto roof as flames approached through a window
The male resident, according to Graves, had climbed out onto a roof ledge to get away from the flames inside the second story. Fire was approaching behind him out of the window he had escaped from. Despite the drop to the ground from where he was perched being at least 15 feet, he appeared ready to jump. The Rescue Unit 11’s officer emphasized the urgency of getting a ladder in, to prevent serious injuries from such a fall.
Truck 25 firefighters raised the ladder to the roof edge and helped the man climb down, while flames erupted from the window behind him, and heavy smoke roiled from the eaves just below where he was.
Below, a PF&R Fire Investigator is in the driveway, while firefighters remain on the roof of the house after the fire had been knocked down.
Cluttered conditions hamper interior access and fire attack
Inside and around the house, firefighters confronted heavy clutter that slowed their access to the fire.
Personnel used saws to open walls and floors, deployed ladders inside the home where the stairway had burned away, and went through multiple air bottles used for breathing while searching the house and knocking down the fire.
A charred classic Ford Mustang smolders in the driveway, ignited by flames from the yard and tree, which then burned into the SE 87th Avenue house.
The fire investigator on-scene determined the fire started outside the home – at a place where an extension cord had been used to run a small dorm-style indoor refrigerator that was placed out in the yard. According to Graves, the indoor-type extension cord failed, igniting the nearby vegetation. The flames spread into several vehicles on the property, burned up the trunk and leaves of the large tree with limbs overhanging the house, and then on into the house itself.
PF&R reminds residents extension cords are not permanent wiring
PF&R used the incident to remind residents that appliances should be plugged directly into a grounded wall outlet, and that extension cords should never be used as permanent wiring.
The only reported injury involved the occupant, who cut an arm on broken glass while escaping through the second-story window – but he declined an ambulance ride to a hospital, or any additional medical help at the scene.
A Fire Investigator shows evidence of the failed extension cord with a surge protector that sparked the Lents house fire.
Graves credited the outcome to a fast response and coordinated effort by the 14 firefighters assigned to Lents Engine and Rescue 11, and Woodstock Engine and Truck 25. He pointed to the way responders followed established plans for water supply, fire attack, and search and rescue on arrival, and remarked that multi-company training drills regularly conducted by Portland Fire & Rescue had helped those units work together smoothly in this real emergency.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
