Find what firefighters discovered had kept this outer East Portland blaze from becoming a deadly tragedy …
Firefighters find fire in a garage attached to a Lents neighborhood home.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
When a fire broke out in the garage of a Lents neighborhood residence just after 1:00 a.m. on December 10, on SE 102nd Avenue a block north of Holgate Boulevard, thick smoke was already billowing up as the fire crews arrived.
When Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) units from the Lents, Woodstock and Mill Park stations arrived, they reported back to dispatchers, seeing “heavy smoke coming from the home’s attached garage,” said PF&R Public Information Officer Lt. Damon Simmons. “The firefighters split up, some began attacking the fire, while others were searching the house to ensure that no one was trapped inside.”
Fire crews soon stand down, after this garage fire has been quenched.
As it turned out, all of the residents safely escaped the home before the structure filled with smoke from the fire in the attached garage.
“They escaped, thanks to working smoke alarms,” Simmons said, adding, “And this is a good example why people should have working smoke alarms in their homes, on every floor, and in every sleeping space.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation and the damage estimate has not yet been released; but, while quick action by firefighters contained fire damage to the garage, Simmons revealed that there was nonetheless “extensive smoke damage throughout the home.”
Volunteers with American Red Cross, Cascades Region provided resources to the three adults, two children, and the pets affected by the fire.
© 2018 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
click here to subscribe
