Crews quickly snuff out home electrical fire

Find out why neighbors say they’re glad for the quick response …

Pulling a “booster hose line” from a reel on Engine 11, firefighters make their way into the house.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A fire broke out in the bedroom of a small Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood home just after midnight on March 13.

9-1-1 Center dispatchers relayed more information, informing firefighters while they were en route that “smoke and flames” had been seen coming from a ceiling lighting fixture in a bedroom. Dispatchers also let the fire crews know the house was actually at the back of a “flag lot” – and not facing the street.

Moments later, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) crews from Lents Station 11 and Woodstock Station 25 rolled up to the house, located at 7711 SE Flavel Street.

As they arrived, the lieutenant from Engine 11 reported seeing “light smoke” coming from the eaves of the structure, as the crew went in to investigate – and to make sure the occupants were safely evacuated.

The crew from Ladder Truck 25 stood by, ready to cut open the roof, if the fire had lit the attic ablaze.

Engine 25 and Emergency 11 wait on SE Flavel Street, ready to spring into action should the small electrical fire erupt into a larger blaze.

“Firefighters made sure electrical power was disconnected from the house,” reported PF&R Public Information Officer Tommy Schroeder. “Then, pulling their smaller ‘booster hose’ from a reel on Engine 11 into the structure, and using water in its onboard tank, the crew quickly extinguished the fire.”

As some crewmembers carried out a couple of loads of broken ceiling and insulation, a firefighter told East Portland News that the fire had been contained near an electrical fixture.

Firefighters remove “overhaul” from the burned room – that’s debris that could contain embers that would reignite the fire.

“I’m sure glad they got here right way,” remarked a neighbor standing nearby and watching the operation. “Our houses are pretty close together. A big fire might have burned our house, too.”

Fire investigators have not yet released the official cause of the blaze, and the damage estimate is unknown.

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