At 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, a resident called 911, reporting that the whole back side of their house was on fire in the 1000 block of S Mckern Ct in Newberg. While en route to the scene, the incident commander could see a visible column of black smoke and upgraded the call to a first alarm to bring additional units and resources to the incident.

Firefighters arrived within six minutes, as Newberg-Dundee Police on scene confirmed that all residents were out of the home and accounted for. Firefighters quickly began to work on extinguishing the fire. While circling the home to determine the size and scope of the fire, they found that it had spread to a second nearby residence.

Dundee Fire had also been dispatched to assist, and arrived as the incident commander was assigning crews to two separate groups, in order to be able to better focus on extinguishing the fire in each structure. While firefighters continued to work on extinguishing the fires, crews searched both residences and confirmed that all occupants had evacuated.

They brought the fire of the second structure under control. Fire extension into the attic of the initial home created additional challenges. While continuing to work on extinguishment of the first home, a partial roof collapse created further access and safety considerations. After nearly two hours, crews brought the second fire under control, and remained to monitor and extinguish any additional hot spots. Two patients were evaluated at the scene, and a third patient was transported to a local hospital. Three residents total have been displaced as a result. Fire investigators are working to determine the cause.

We wish to thank our partner agencies, Dundee Fire and Newberg-Dundee Police, for their assistance at the scene.