It was a busy time for firefighters recently. Portland Fire said they responded to two homes on fire in the Northwest Heights neighborhood. Smoke and large flames could be seen coming from one home. Fire crews responded stating that it was sparked by an explosion in one of the homes. The incident was a 2-alarm fire. Additional resources were sent to the scene after the initial crews were dispatched.
Two entities responded to the fire. Portland Fire and Rescue and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue were called to a report of an explosion at Burkhardt Court. Crews arrived and confirmed the explosion in one home, and saw that the fire had fully engulfed the home and spread to the home next door. There are no known injuries.
Smoke and flames bellowed out of most of the second story of one of the houses. Part of the structure appeared to have already been reduced to charred timbers. Debris could also be seen in the street. A large column of smoke could be seen coming from the site.
Firemen sprayed high-powered water on the fire and were able to keep it from spreading beyond the two homes. Ladder trucks were brought in to spray water from above, PF&R said in a news release last Thursday afternoon. Portland Fire & Rescue tweeted that the fire was out and some fire crew resources were leaving, but others were staying and the scene remained active.
The cause of the explosion is not yet known. The extent of the damage to the second house is also unknown. In addition, Natural gas utility provider NW Natural also responded to the scene and was working to make sure all gas service in the area was secure, according to the PF&R news release. NW Natural later said in a statement that its crews had “completed surveys of the pipeline system in the area to verify its integrity.”
In another fire, one person was killed and another injured in the house. Flames and smoke could be seen coming out of the two-story structure as fire crews battled the blaze, and the house appeared to be heavily damaged after the fire was put out.That fire was near Pat Pfeifer Park in Gresham and happened early Friday morning. Portland Fire & Rescue crews responded to the scene at a house near the intersection of Northeast 176th Avenue and Northeast Couch Street. Fire crews at the scene said one person was killed and another was taken to the hospital.
