Oregon Firefighters Rescue Man Trapped in Blaze

Firefighters broke down a bedroom door Monday morning to rescue one person trapped in a house fire near Happy Valley after he stayed behind to try and put the blaze out himself, according to Clackamas Fire District #1.

Clackamas Fire District Spokesman Jed Wachlin said crews responded about 7 a.m. to the 10000 block of Southeast 78th Street near Happy Valley, where four people had been home when the blaze began. Three of them, all renters, were able to escape while the home's manager stayed behind. After attempting to extinguish the blaze himself, he got trapped within his bedroom.

By breaking down the door, Lt. Jeff Deetz was able to rescue the the 45-year-old man, who was rushed to the hospital with second- and third-degree burns over 20 percent of his body, according to Wachlin. Firefighters do not believe the injuries are life-threatening.

John Burke, 79, a renter in the home, said he had been sleeping when another housemate banged on his door and told him to flee the house. The residents discovered the fire because of the heavy smoke, according to Wachlin, and their smoke alarms did not go off because the batteries had been removed.

Burke said he soon went downstairs to tell the manager to leave. As he tried to reach him, Burke said, it was all "black smoke and flames."

As the fire grew, he and two other housemates ran outside. "We evacuated pretty quick," he said.

Burke said the fire started in the manager's downstairs bedroom, but Wachlin said he initially believed the blaze started in another bedroom on the same level. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the blaze.

Wachlin said the manager had been trying to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but to no avail.

"If (the fire) is bigger than a trashcan, you're not going to do anything," Wachlin said.

The manager then ran back into his bedroom, which became his safety zone until a firefighter arrived at his door.

Maryellen Householder, who lives next door, said she saw the incident unfolding from her window. "You could see the black smoke pouring out of every vent," she said.

She came outside and saw Burke, still in his socks and sleeping clothes, and invited him into her home. Householder said she was concerned for the renters, some of whom were worried about having a place to stay tonight.

Burke, a retired truck driver, said he would stay with his daughter, but admitted he may have to "start over."

But even with the misfortune, Burke said he was thankful to be out of harm's way. "I'm just glad that I am where I am," he said. "It's part of life."

McClatchy-Tribune News Service