Fire destroys Montavilla auto shop

This blaze quickly turned into a ‘Two-Alarm Fire’ – see why …

A fire inside a Montavilla neighborhood auto repair shop quickly grows, causing incident commanders to bring in more units to this outer East Portland blaze.

By David F. Ashton

The stillness of the early morning hours in Montavilla was shattered when Eric’s Auto Tech repair shop, located at  8633 SE Stark Street, exploded into flames just after midnight on September 11.

First arriving Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) crews reported back to dispatch that they’d found an auto repair shop fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters attack the fire, from outside the building. Image courtesy of KPTV-12

Noting that the 40’ x 80’ metal-clad building was attached to the house, the PF&R Battalion Chief immediately called for a second alarm. “Doing so brought much needed additional fire engines and ladder trucks to deal with the large building and fire load,” reported PF&R Public Information Officer Lt. Rich Chatman.

Finding no way safely to enter the building, firefighters maintained a “defensive fire attack” by hosing down the outside of the structure, and making sure the fire didn’t extend to nearby homes.

After the fire is extinguished, a firefighter climbs to the roof of an adjacent house to spray water onto the still-steaming metal-clad auto shop. Image courtesy of PF&R

“With the residence attached to the business, fortunately the one adult male occupant made it out safely,” Chatman said. “Fire Investigators responded to the scene and determined the building to be a near total loss, but the fire’s cause is still under investigation.”

© 2018 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™

 

 

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