Find out why one simple mistake could have cost many families everything they own …
Firefighters, both inside and on the roof of this apartment building, fight the fire in the Glenfair Neighborhood. Dick Harris, PF&R photo
By David F. Ashton
It wasn’t the resident – but instead, a neighbor – who called the 9-1-1 Center on July 11 at about 1:39 p.m. She saw smoke and heard a fire alarm sounding at an apartment located at 15533 NE Glisan Street.
When firefighters arrived from Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) Station 30 in Gateway, they were somewhat surprised to find no one at home, particularly when it turned out to be caused by an overheated cooking pan on the stove.
“After doing a search for victims, firefighters immediately went into ‘fire suppression mode’,” stated PF&R spokesman Ron Rouse.
Ready to battle a blaze of any size, a firefighter readies another hose at this apartment complex fire. Dick Harris, PF&R photo
Minutes later, Station 7’s truck and engine companies arrived and evacuated neighbors, supplied water, and sent a team to the roof to help relieve the structure of smoke, so the interior crews could contain and extinguish the fire, Rouse added. A crew from Parkrose’s Station 2 crew located in mid-County arrived shortly thereafter to help salvage as much as they could from the burned unit.
“No one was home at the time of the fire,” Rouse noted, “but the fire did originate on the stove. Be extra careful in the kitchen, and to never leave [cooking] food unattended.”
A Truck 7 firefighter carries air bottles back to the rig. Dick Harris, PF&R photo
© 2012 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
click here to subscribe
