Feb. 18--A man died Saturday morning in a fire that burned through the second floor of a Portland home.
Portland firefighters arrived at the 400 block of North Failing Street at about 4 a.m. and found people evacuating from the basement and first floor windows, according to Paul Corah, spokesman for Portland Fire & Rescue. Some were woken up by the lights of the fire engine because there were no working smoke alarms in the home, fire investigators said.
On the second floor, where parts had burned through, it was so hot that firefighters' helmet shields were melting and they had to crawl on their stomachs to look for any trapped victims, according to Station 13 Capt. Rob Hutchens. They knew they had to get out, but they gave it one more shot, he said, and that's when they found a man in the hallway.
Firefighters carried the man downstairs to paramedics, who determined that the 39-year-old man had died. His name has not been released, pending notification of his family. An investigation is continuing.
Four people were in the house at the time of the fire. Rooms in the home were rented out to individuals, Corah said. The Oregon Red Cross helped two displaced adults get shelter and other services.
This is the second fire death in three days in Portland. A man died Thursday when his home, which was full of clutter, caught fire.
Corah urged people to make sure they have a smoke alarm in every sleeping area, on every floor of their home.
-- Dominique Fong
Copyright 2012 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
