Tag Archives: Oregon

Apartment Building, Residential

Pendleton, OR – Early morning apartment fire controlled by sprinkler system

One person is recovering from smoke inhalation after an early morning apartment fire.  Firefighters got the call from the Security Apartments on Court Avenue just after 6:00 Monday morning. Responding units found a fire on the first floor of the three story building. The sprinkler system kept the fire under control while crews evacuated the building and extinguished the fire.  Medics took one person to St. Anthony hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Astoria, OR – Fire in mechanical room at Comfort Suites Hotel contained with help from sprinkler system

Monday night Astoria Fire Department and an Officer from Astoria Police Department were dispatched to the Comfort Suites in East Astoria for a report of a natural gas leak behind the building.  While the fire department was evacuating the building the gas leak ignited from an unknown source.  An intense fire broke out igniting the hotel triggering a working fire response.

Astoria fire department was able to quickly address the fire after the evacuation of the hotel. The fire had minimal penetration into the buildings mechanical room where a sprinkler activated.  A large water supply pipe burst inside the hotel flooding the first floor.  Displaced hotel patrons were relocated to other area hotels. Multiple agencies responded as mutual aid, including Olney Wulluski Fire Department, Lewis and Clark Fire Department, Warrenton Fire Department, Knappa Fire Department, Medix Ambulance and Clatsop County Sheriff’s Department.

The cause of the original gas leak and ignition source are under investigation. Members from the Clatsop County Fire Investigation Team and Oregon State Police Arson investigators will be meeting this morning to continue the investigation.

Other Business

Medford, OR – Sprinkler system contains grease fire at laundry service

Just before 7:00 Saturday morning, Medford Fire-Rescue and Jackson County Fire District 3 responded to a fire alarm at American Linen Service Company between Medford and Central Point.

When crews arrived, they found open flames inside and smoke down to shoulder level. Fortunately, a sprinkler system just over the fire kept it relatively contained.

Investigators say the source was some grease rags.

“[Businesses throw the rags] in a bin and then that bin gets emptied in these big bags and ends up here, so if [the rags are] tightly wadded up and not given the opportunity to dry out, they will develop and generate their own heat,” Battalion Chief Ron Nelson said.

Nelson says most of the damage from the fire was contained to some bags of rags and some nearby shelves. He also added these types of fires are not uncommon in places that use oils and mixtures that could ignite when heated.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Residential

Portland, OR – Fire in residential room at behavior health facility put out by sprinkler system

A fire broke out at a behavioral health facility in southeast Portland early Thursday morning. Portland Fire & Rescue said firefighters were called to the fire that ignited in an apartment unit at Cascadia Behavioral Health, located at 7511 Southeast Henry Street. The small fire was put out by a sprinkler before firefighters arrived to the scene. Firefighters helped evacuate all the occupants of the smoke-filled building and searched for any additional flames.

PF&R said the fire didn’t do much structural damage, and the bit of damage done was contained to the room where the fire started. Two or three people were evaluated for non-life-threatening issues related to smoke, and one patient was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation of smoke inhalation.  PF&R said the water cleanup could take a couple of hours. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.

Apartment Building, Residential

Springfield, OR – Fire in mixed-use apartment building quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire damaged an apartment building in the heart of downtown Springfield on Friday.  There were no injuries.  Firefighters were dispatched to the Royal Building at Main and Fifth streets shortly after 1 p.m. The building, developed and owned by St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, has 35 apartments on four upper floors as well as ground-floor retail.  The building’s sprinkler system quickly extinguished the fire in a third-floor apartment, but the water ran down into the lower floors, said Jeff Kronser, battalion chief for Eugene Springfield Fire.

Terry McDonald, St. Vincent de Paul’s executive director, said employees were assessing the damage and working to get tenants back into the building.  It wasn’t immediately clear how many tenants the fire displaced.  Tenant Sharon Quest said another tenant had left the building while food was cooking on a stove. Quest said the tenant returned after firefighters arrived.

“It must have burned pretty good to start a fire,” she said.  One of the ground-floor tenants is the Mezza Luna Pizzeria. Employee Chad Ouellette said some soaked ceiling tiles collapsed because of the water, but otherwise the damage was minimal.  The pizzeria was closing for the day but planned to reopen Saturday, he said.  The fire remained under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Portland, OR – Sprinklers help control overnight fire at elementary school

A school in southwest Portland caught fire early Thursday morning, just two days after it welcomed students for the school year.

Portland Fire and Rescue crews responded to the blaze at Southwest Sherman Street and Southwest Water Avenue at 2:43 a.m., which firefighters said started as a dumpster fire before spreading to The International School.

The private elementary school is a Spanish, Chinese and Japanese language immersion school with 418 students.

Crews knocked down the fire, but not before one building’s electrical system was damaged. Water sprinklers helped minimize fire activity but also added to the destruction.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Bend, OR – Laundry fire at assisted living facility controlled by sprinkler system

A fire from the laundry room of the Mt. Bachelor Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Bend on Friday morning caused 75 residents to be evacuated.  Bend Fire Department responded at 9:03 a.m., and found light smoke in the hallway coming from the laundry room.  Crews put out the fire and cleared the smoke, then allowed residents to return to their rooms.

All residents were evacuated prior to the fire department’s arrival, expect for several residents who are not able or strong enough to walk. Those residents sheltered in place on the upper floors of the facility.  The fire sprinkler in the laundry room controlled the spread of the fire, which was confined to the dryer unit, according to the fire department.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system helps stop fire at Metro Transfer Station; No injuries

Portland Fire and Rescue crews quickly put out a fire at Metro Transfer Station in Northwest Portland Monday afternoon.

The fire, which triggered the sprinkler system, was spotted around 12:20 p.m. by employees.

The building was briefly evacuated and no one was injured.

Responding fire crews helped put the fire out and operations were back to normal by 1:10 p.m.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Redmond, OR – Electrical fire at Pronghorn Resort extinguished by sprinkler system

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., firefighters were called to Pronghorn Resort between Bend and Redmond on the reported maintenance building fire, said Fire Marshal Traci Cooper.

Crews arrived and found the fire sprinkler system had been activated and there was smoke coming from the eaves of the building, Cooper said. They entered the building to find a small blaze that had been put out by the sprinkler.

The fire was believed to have started from an overheated electrical charging box, the fire marshal said.

Mutual-aid help was provided by Crook County Fire and Rescue and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies, with station coverage by Bend Fire and Rescue.

There were no injuries and losses totaled $500, Cooper said.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

La Grande, OR – Early morning sawmill fire contained with help from sprinkler system

A fire was reported at Boise Cascade’s Mt. Emily plant at 1917 Jackson Ave. in La Grande about 4:45 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in the blaze, which kept firefighters busy until about 7 a.m., according to Larry Wooldridge, chief of the La Grande Rural Fire Department.

The fire originated in some wood stored inside a Boise Cascade building and caused no structural damage, Wooldridge said. Four fire departments responded to the blaze: the La Grande, La Grande Rural, Imbler and Union fire departments. The firefighters were aided by an automatic sprinkler system at Boise Cascade, which was running when they arrived. The cause of the fire has not been determined.