Around 6:30pm on August 23, callers to 9-1-1 reported heavy black smoke coming from the Yamaha Golf Cars building in the 10000 block of NW Main Street in North Plains. The TVF&R crew from nearby Station 17 arrived within two minutes and saw smoke coming from the eves of the large metal building and some windows broken by heat.

Firefighters learned that no one was inside the building, so they fought the fire from outside until additional crews arrived and they could safely enter the building. The second alarm was quickly recalled and crews spent more than an hour clearing smoke from the building and salvaging contents.

Preliminary information from the fire investigator indicates the accidental fire started near a golf cart in a storage bay. The building did not have a commercial sprinkler system. TVF&R was assisted by Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Banks Fire District and Forest Grove Fire & Rescue.

Battalion Chief Jeff Cooper was the incident commander. Cooper states, "Early detection by people in the area, rapid response from TVF&R crews and assistance from partner agencies kept fire damage to a minimum."

TVF&R has been serving the city of North Plains and central Washington County as part of a contract with Washington County Fire District 2 since September, 2015. Last month, TVF&R increased staffing at the North Plains and Midway fire stations from two to three professional firefighters on duty at all times. The additional firefighters are also certified paramedics, which means they can provide near-emergency-room-level care in the field.

This November, voters in North Plains and portions of central Washington County will have the opportunity to decide if they’d like to permanently join Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.