Dispatchers sent Portland Fire & Rescue crews to a house fire at 4841 SE 84th Ave. at 10:58 a.m. on Jan. 21 when a neighbor reported smoke coming from the house. While firefighters were responding, dispatchers also made them aware that there were acetylene and oxygen tanks in the garage.
Engine 11 (Lents station) made entry, but had to maneuver around multiple items that were in the home, which made for difficult access. Truck crews had to cut holes in the roof and open windows to ventilate the home.
With the fire was growing rapidly, firefighters had to back out and fight the fire from the outside.
Units from Station 25 (Woodstock), Engine 19 (Mount Tabor), and Station 7 (Mill Park) also responded.
The homeowner was away at the time of the incident and firefighters were able to rescue a blind cat from the home. Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire, which originated in a back bedroom.
The total response was four engines, two trucks and two chief officers.
