The fire that ravaged the Goose Hollow mid-rise Tuesday morning probably spells the apartment building’s end. Fire officials have expressed concern that it could collapse.
But the building endured a similar conflagration before and survived — more than a century ago.
It’s been almost 102 years since flames ripped up from the basement into the four above-ground floors of The May Apartments, which has borne the name of the family that constructed it since being built in 1910 at 1410 S.W. Taylor Street.
The fire this week destroyed the possessions of more than 100 occupants and claimed the lives of an unknown number of pets, officials say. One firefighter was hospitalized due to elevated blood pressure and another received a cut on the forehead by a shard of glass from a window blown out by the blaze.
The city was less lucky during the blaze that hit the building on June 15, 1921. That fire claimed the life of one first-responder and injured four other firefighters and two tenants.
Engine 22 hoseman Karl Gunster, a 41-year-old veteran of the Spanish-American War, succumbed to smoke inhalation on the third floor, The Morning Oregonian reported at the time.
Police set up ropes at about 2 p.m. that day to keep back the crowd as rescuers rushed into the burning building, where they succeeded in finding and carrying out a paralyzed railroad agent. They also saved an elderly woman who nearly jumped from a fourth-floor window. Several firefighters suffered burns during the ordeal.
City Fire Marshal Ed Grenfell later concluded the fire resulted from the “spontaneous combustion” of oily rags piled in the basement by a janitor. Grenfell determined the flames spread quickly through a dumbwaiter and caused the gas main to explode, but he credited recent fireproofing of the stairs and elevator with saving lives.
The building was eventually repaired for $39,000, or about $660,000 in today’s dollars, with much of the interior entirely redone.
It’s less likely The May will survive this time around. Officials from the city’s Development Services bureau are inspecting the building Wednesday from the outside only, for safety reasons. They expect to issue an order to repair or demolish the building by the end of the week, according to bureau spokesperson Ken Ray.
On Tuesday, when firefighters were still battling the blaze, Portland Fire & Rescue spokesperson Rick Graves said it was unlikely residents would ever be allowed back in the building.
The cause of this week’s fire has not yet been determined.
— Zane Sparling; [email protected]; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane
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