On Tuesday, May 16th, a very serious “Level 4 fire” broke out in an apartment building in the southwest district of Portland, Oregon. Thick smoke billowed, and the flames soared, requiring the mobilization of a large number of firefighting vehicles and personnel to extinguish the fire.
The Portland Fire and Rescue Team distributed a document at 10:43 am stating that staff were at the site of Taylor’s apartment building on Southwest 14th Avenue. The fire spread from the third floor to the fourth floor, and the building could collapse at any time.
The fire was initially a level three alarm, but it rose to level four at 11:30.
Fire official Rick Graves said that there was an explosion, the fire blew out the windows, shattered the glass on one side of the building, and thick smoke emerged from the top. The thick black smoke made rescue difficult.
Witnesses said that a firefighter was injured by a glass explosion, and a piece of glass hit his forehead. The firefighter was slightly injured and returned to work.
Firefighters used ladders to rescue people and dogs from the building.
Due to the rapid spread of the fire, Portland General Electric Company cut off power to the area, affecting thousands of people. It coincided with Portland still experiencing high temperatures, with the highest temperature being 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). It can be said that when there is a power outage in the scorching heat, there is nowhere to escape.
The bus needs to take a detour and is affected and delayed.
All exits on nearby Highway 405 and the fire scene were blocked until 2:30 pm. Highway 405 opened, but other intersections remained blocked, and government workers were still trying to evacuate students from nearby Lincoln High School.
Officials urged people to avoid the area.
When the article was published at 3 pm, the fire had not yet been completely extinguished! But the fire rescue team said on Twitter that the building in the fire was saved and there was no structural collapse. The staff are very concerned about the adjacent building, which is only 1.2 meters away from the building where the fire occurred.
Fire official Rick Graves said that firefighters will stay at the scene of the fire throughout the following night.
Investigators are investigating the cause of the fire on site and it is unclear if there were any casualties.
