Not only did firefighters put out a ‘suspicious’ house fire, see how they resuscitated at least two kitties at this blaze ..
Neighbors call it “suspicious” that with no one home, a fire somehow started on the porch of this Lents neighborhood home, and vigorously burned up the side of the structure.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A couple of blocks east of Interstate 205 and north of SE Foster Road, a house fire in the Lents neighborhood at 9803 SE Knight Street could be seen for miles, just before 3:00 p.m. on November 7.
“Like I told the fire investigator, I went outside to check my mail, saw a lot of fire burning on the left side of the porch of the neighbor’s house across the street,” recounted Gary Frogge.
Although most of the fire has been extinguished, firefighters continue to ladder up to the roof to keep watering down embers in the attic.
“It seemed so strange, I looked again to make sure someone wasn’t burning leaves nearby; but when I saw fire going up the side of his house, I called 9-1-1, as did several of my neighbors,” Frogge told East Portland News.
The fire, dispatched at 2:51 p.m., brought 13 Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) units into the narrow streets. The first in, the crew of Lents Station 11 Engine Company, reported seeing heavy smoke and fire showing from the porch, extending up the side of the house and into the eaves.
On the roof, firefighters continue to put out this fire that had extended to the second floor, and into the attic.
While some firefighters searched the house for victims, others hooked up water lines and began fighting the fire. Arriving a minute after Engine 11, the Parkrose Training Station Ladder Truck Company 2 pulled up, their crew grabbed ladders, and headed up the roof of the two-story residence.
It took about twenty minutes to get main body of the fire knocked down, but crews continued working on the roof, cutting holes for vertical ventilation, releasing potentially explosive hot gasses, and quenching the fire that had extended to the attic.
Using a “Pet Resuscitation Kit” these firefighters work to save the life of a cat caught in the burning house.
A neighbor said the homeowner was at work, and had taken his dog with him. Another pointed out that the residence was also home to several cats.
As many of the firefighters worked on putting out the fire, two of them grabbed the “Pet Resuscitation Kit” from the Battalion Chief’s rig and worked to find and save the cats.
These firefighters make sure the fire in the attic has been put out.
“I know they saved at least two of them – one of the kitties jumped up and ran west down the street,” Frogge said.
“Why I said it looked strange before,” Frogge said, “was that no one was home, and somehow, this fire started on the front porch, which seems really suspicious to me.”
Official information about this fire from PF&R, including likely source and the extent of the damages, is not yet available.
© 2018 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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