Fire rips through Lents house

Watch as firefighters quickly put out this fire, saving the home from total destruction, on a very hot summer day …

Even while laboring in sweltering temperatures, firefighters quickly put out this Lents neighborhood house fire.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

While afternoon temperatures were soaring at the start of the record-breaking heat wave on August 12, a fire was breaking out in a small house at 5130 SE 84th Avenue.

After the dispatch at 1:42 p.m., Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) crews snaked through the narrow streets of this part of the Lents neighborhood to find heavy smoke showing from the garage and eaves of the residence.

A firefighter ladders up to the roof, relieving others to come down and cool off.

“The crews found the source of the fire was in a converted living space, which extended into the attic above the main house,” PF&R Public Information Officer Lieutenant Sean Fogarty told East Portland News. “Because fire had extended to the attic, firefighters cut vertical ventilation holes in the roof to allow hot and combustible gasses to escape, and to extinguish the fire from above.”

With a Booster hose draped through the hole they’ve cut in the roof, these firefighters watch for any sign of fire rekindling in the attic.

“Firefighting that day was more challenging than normal due to the heat,” acknowledged Lieutenant Fogarty later on. “But, crews were able to stop the fire, and limit the damage in the main areas of house.

“There were no injuries related to this fire; all pets were accounted for, and the Red Cross assisted the residents with temporary housing,” Lieutenant Fogarty added.

In the shade, firefighters take turns cooling off, when the blaze has been put out.

© 2023 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™

 

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