At 12:39 a.m. today, a Washington County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy spotted a fire in a home under construction at 7864 NW 169th Ave. in unincorporated Washington County (also known as North Bethany). He also reported smoke coming from the home next door at 7888 NW 169th Ave.

First-arriving firefighters from Station 64 started to fight the primary fire at 7864 NW 169th Ave. from the outside. Additional fire crews protected exposures and began to suppress the fire from the inside of the adjacent home at 7888 NW 169th Ave.

At 1:02 a.m., the incident commander called a second alarm to bring more firefighters to the scene. Two aerial ladder trucks were used to spray water onto the primary fire unit.

Firefighters were able to control the fires within 40 minutes and keep them from spreading to additional homes. In addition to the fire hazards, responders dealt with slick surfaces as water from the fire fight froze.

The home located at 7864 NW 169th Ave. was in the final stages of construction, and is considered a total loss. Minor fire, smoke and water damage occurred to the home at 7888 NW 169th Ave.

TVF&R fire investigators fear the fires were intentionally set and will continue working with arson detectives from Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

In addition to this morning’s fire, three others have occurred:
• The first fire was on August 16 at Northwest 169th and Trillium.
• The second fire was a block away on August 27 at Northwest 169th and Madrone.
• The third took place on November 21 near the intersection of Northwest 167th and Catalpa Street.
• In all cases, firefighters from Station 64 were first to arrive and were met by a large amount of fire.

TVF&R was assisted this morning by Hillsboro Fire Department, Portland Fire and Rescue and Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Metro West Ambulance also provided a standby unit in case injuries occurred.
 
Anyone with information related to this incident or other fires occurring in the area should call the Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2700. The Sheriff's Office has provided extra patrols to the area since August. Property developer Noyes also hired a private security company to monitor the area.