Hostile Tenants Prevent Investigation of Cornelius, Ore. Halfway House Fire

May 06--A two-alarm fire that gutted the inside of an unofficial halfway house two miles south of Cornelius was likely the result of a lit barbecue, fire officials said Monday.

But the Cornelius Fire Department won't formally investigate the incident because of tenants' hostilities towards emergency responders, said department spokesperson Matt Johnston.

"We just don't want to be risking the safety of our guys out there," Johnston said. "We're labeling it as 'undetermined.'"

Firefighters were called to the 5400 block of Southwest Hergert Road on Saturday at around 6:20 p.m. They arrived shortly after to find heavy fire coming from the back of the two-story home, according to a department press release.

Because of a previous "dangerous" encounter with tenants, firefighters decided to wait for deputies to arrive on scene before entering the home. In October 2011, firefighters coming to the house to extinguish a burning pile of trash encountered a man with a gun, who told them to leave or he'd "line them up and shoot them," Johnston said.

When deputies arrived, fire crews attacked the blaze from outside after the flames grew too intense inside the home. They extinguished most of the flames after about an hour, and some remained on scene until at least 3 a.m. Sunday to douse hot spots.

Nearly 20 people -- the property owner, about a dozen renters, and a handful of guests -- were inside when the fire began. No one was injured.

As far as the structure itself, it's "pretty well lost," Johnston said. The contents of the home were destroyed, though the department has not yet estimated a dollar amount for damages.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross, a donation-funded nonprofit, assisted occupants of the house in finding a temporary place to stay, Johnston said. A bus was brought to the scene to take them to temporary lodging.

The Red Cross will continue providing lodging, food, clothing, personal supplies, medical assistance and mental health assistance as needed, said Thomas McCann, a Red Cross spokesperson.

He said 16 people from the house needed lodging following the fire. A 16-person group is larger than the organization usually expects for a single house fire, McCann added. Other aid groups may step in long-term to help the occupants get back on their feet.

By early Monday, Johnston said the department was hearing reports of tenants "storming back to the house, upset" and decided not to return to the site to investigate the cause of the fire.

"We don't want any altercations and we believe it's unsafe for us right now," Johnston said. "And since we don't believe it to be arson, we're not going to be devoting our resources like that."

-- Deborah Bloom

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