A fast aerial attack keeps the blaze from destroying the entire complex; investigators call the fire arson, seek ‘person of interest’ …
The morning after the blaze ripped through these buildings in the Gateway District of the Hazelwood neighborhood, all that’s left over is a shell of the newly-remodeled structure.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A late-night fire at what was about to open as an adolescent addiction recovery campus, just completing construction, drew a massive response from Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) on Saturday night. Crews battled flames bursting through the roof of a large L-shaped building.
Alerted to this “box alarm”, at 10:42 p.m., PF&R crews were dispatched to a building fire in the 100 block of NE 100th Avenue in the Gateway District – along the west end of Professional Plaza 102.
Firefighter find the building ablaze when they arrive. PF&R photo by Greg Muhr
PF&R Montavilla Station 19’s Rescue rig arrived first and was immediately confronted with a “difficult scene”, according to PF&R Public Information Officer Rick Graves. “Rescue 19 stated they had ‘fire through the roof’, and that it was going to take work to make access, as the building was surrounded by fencing.”
Graves reported that the “fire building” was an approximately 100-by-300-foot, L-shaped structure under renovation. As firefighters arrived, the main body of the fire was burning in the single-story portion.
PF&R Battalion Chiefs confer as the incident unfolds. PF&R photo by Greg Muhr
Multiple alarms bring in crews citywide
Recognizing the size of the building complex, and the potential for the fire to spread to attached and nearby buildings at Professional Plaza 102, command quickly ramped up its response.
“A second and eventually third alarm were called as more apparatus and crews were needed to provide the number of resources necessary to both control and extinguish the fire,” said Graves.
In plain terms, each “alarm” brings more engines, trucks, and firefighters. By the time the incident reached three alarms, PF&R had 31 units and 99 firefighters at the scene.
From atop aerial ladder trucks, water streams down into the heart of the fire. PF&R photo by Greg Muhr
Pouring water down from above
With heavy fire through the roof, and limited access due to the construction fencing, crews initially attacked the blaze from outside the building rather than going inside. As they arrived, ‘ladder pipes’ were placed into action, as firefighters battled the conflagration defensively from the exterior of the building complex.
Those “ladder pipes” are large nozzles mounted at the tips of aerial ladder trucks. Once raised into position, they can pour big streams of water down onto a fire from above, allowing crews to knock down intense flames while staying out of the most dangerous potential collapse areas.
Firefighters continue to work, both inside and outside the charring structure. PF&R photo by Greg Muhr
“The early use of ladder pipes enabled crews to save some of the structure from fire damage,” Graves told East Portland News. “Once they were able to control the fire, crews were sent inside with hand-held water hose lines, to ensure the fire [did not spread from] the single-story portion of the structure.”
Firefighters had the blaze controlled and mostly extinguished within an hour of the initial dispatch. The incident was officially “recalled” at 11:44 p.m., with several truck companies remaining on scene, with their ladders in place, to make sure the fire did not rekindle.
The structure on the north side of the complex look totally burned out.
Arson investigators seek ‘person of interest’
While firefighters were wrapping up operations, investigators arrived to determine how the blaze started. The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) later announced that fire investigators had determined the flames were intentionally set.
Law enforcement is looking for this man, called a “person of interest”. PPB provided surveillance photo
Police released a photo of a “person of interest” connected to the case, and asked for the public’s help in identifying the individual. This person is believed to frequent the area from NE Glisan Street to East Burnside Street, and NE 102nd Avenue to I-205.
While investigators have labeled the fire an act of arson, PPB said they currently have no evidence that the about-to-open adolescent recovery facility itself was specifically targeted by the arsonist.
Center’s future remains uncertain
The building – being renovated by 4D Recovery Recovery, a Portland-based nonprofit that provides addiction recovery services to adolescents and families – had been expected to open soon. The new campus was intended to help fill a critical gap in Oregon’s youth addiction services, offering residential treatment beds, a drop-in detox center, outpatient counseling, family therapy, and related recovery supports.
This fire caused substantial damage to the buildings; when, or if, it can be rebuilt is uncertain.
4D Recovery’s Executive Director, Tony Vezina, told reporters that they were working with insurance providers and others help decide on their next steps to this campus, which had been planned for two years.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the person of interest or the fire is asked to contact Portland police by emailing information to arsontips@police.portlandoregon.gov.
© David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
