Man perishes in Lents RV fire

What it was that started the fire that killed this man in outer East Portland, remains unknown. The results of the blaze, however, were deadly …

As firefighters arrived to battle a travel trailer fire, pared next to Glenwood Park, its resident had already perished in the blaze.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

The overnight darkness early Sunday morning, August 8, was illuminated by flames spewing from a large travel trailer, parked on the northern edge of Glenwood Park along SE Claybourne Street.

At 3:35 a.m., Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) Lents Station’s Engine 11 and Rescue 11 crews – along with others – were dispatched to the fire, a block south of SE Duke Street and east of 88th Avenue.

“Upon their arrival, three and a half minutes after being dispatched, firefighters found an RV trailer fully engulfed in fire, and worked to extinguish it,” PF&R Public Information Officer Terry Foster said. “While fighting the fire, crews searched the interior of the RV, and found one adult inside, who was deceased.”

In daylight, the damage the fire caused to this RV trailer is evident.

At the same time, other firefighters aimed streams of water toward nearby vehicles, and the overhanging trees, to keep the fire from spreading. “There were no other structures involved, and no other reported victims or injuries,” Foster reported, adding that the cause of this fire is still under investigation.

“Our Bureau’s Public Education staff continues to collaborate with other City of Portland Bureaus and community partners to educate our houseless neighbors in fire prevention and safety, in order to prevent tragedies like this from occurring,” Foster concluded.

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