EXCLUSIVE! When you see how this outer East Portland apartment was totally burned out, you’ll know why so many firefighters were dispatched to this blaze …
Here, just south of SE Flavel Street, 92nd Avenue is filled with firefighting apparatus, as crews battle a fire that apparently started on a balcony.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A fire that started at the Stonebridge Apartments, 7821 SE 92nd Avenue, on Thursday afternoon February 5th, had the potential of burning an entire row of buildings – were it not for the Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) Battalion Chief who called for a “Second Alarm” just as the first crews pulled up to the fire.
The site of the fire, an apartment complex, is behind Saint Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church on SE 92nd Avenue, about a block east of Flavel Street. It’s comprised of six main buildings, each of which includes multiple apartments. The fire was on the second floor of the sixth building west of SE 92nd Avenue — just south of Johnson Creek.
>> Concerning this location, In April, 2023 we published Lents ‘Depave’ event to help Johnson Creek’s health, nearby – CLICK HERE to see that story and our video.
One of two water line hoses supply Engine 11; the other is ready to be hooked to an additional engine, if needed. PF&R photo
“With the nearest fire hydrant across the street, on the east side of SE 92nd Avenue, crews had to ‘lay in lines’ – that’s how firefighters describe hooking up water supply hose lines – two sets of lines across the street, closing off traffic and extending all the way back to the far end of the apartment complex building,” described PF&R Public Information Officer Rick Graves.
Firefighters from three stations worked to “lay in double lines” from their engines, while every inch of the 1,600-foot length of hose on PF&R Lents Station 11’s Engine Company rig, was pulled off and deployed at the engine drove down the driveway toward the fire.
Within minutes, most of the fire is out – but crews continue to look for and extinguish hot spots.
“A single second-floor apartment had heavy fire on the balcony, with fire also inside the adjacent apartment,” Graves reported.
“As you can see, it’s a long way back here, and this is the only way into the complex,” Graves pointed out to East Portland News. “The fire was in the unit farthest from the street.
Firefighters put out spot fires found inside the burned apartment.
“Calling for a ‘second alarm’ brings in a lot more crew and apparatus to a fire like this, just in case it spreads into adjacent apartments,” Graves said.
Crews sprayed water on the blaze from the outside, eliminating a bulk of the fire on the exterior. Then they moved their hoses up the stairs and into the interior of the blazing apartment to continue extinguishing the fire.
Inside and outside the burned apartment, crews look for hot spots as they clean away debris.
“Parkrose Training Station 2’s Ladder Truck extended the aerial ladder and assessed the condition of the roof and attic space above the fire,” remarked Graves.
The fire was extinguished in about ten minutes. However, the PF&R Fire Investigator remained at the scene – and quenched small embers on the deck.
As he gathers evidence at the scene, this PF&R Fire Investigator spots embers inside a stack of vehicle tires on the balcony and sprays them with water.
Crew members help gather up the 3,000 feet of hose lines needed to fight this fire.
There were no injuries reported in connection with this fire, Gravis stated, adding, “This fire remains under investigation.
“Once again, we value the ‘mutual aid’ provided Clackamas Fire District #1 firefighters helping to quickly put out this fire before it spread; the Portland Police Bureau, for providing traffic control; and the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communication for their assistance in monitoring the situation and providing critical updates,” commended Graves, as he concluded his report.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News ™
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