At 10:26 a.m. today, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue firefighters responded to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center on Barnes Road on a report of smoke coming from an upper floor near an elevator shaft. 

Upon arrival, firefighters were quickly directed by hospital staff to the location of where the smoke was coming from. Once crews reached the location, they confirmed the smoke was coming from a possible fire inside the hospital. Crews immediately upgraded the incident to a first alarm to bring in additional resources for firefighting.

Crews began their search to find where the smoke was originating from and located a small fire in one of the elevator shafts. They worked as quickly as possible to extinguish the fire and began ventilation efforts to remove any residual smoke that had gone beyond the elevator shaft. 

Patient care at the hospital was not affected during the incident, and evacuations were not necessary. As a safety precaution, a small number of patients were transferred to rooms that were further away from the vicinity of where the fire occurred to reduce the chances of smoke inhalation. 

According to a TVF&R fire investigator, the cause of the fire was related to work that an elevator subcontractor had been performing. No injuries were reported. Estimated damages are not yet available.

TVF&R was assisted on scene by Portland Fire & Rescue and Beaverton Police.