Firefighters responded to a two-story fourplex fire that started just before 6:00 a.m. this morning in the 19000 block of NW Mahama Place in unincorporated Washington County. Callers to 911 reported visible flames coming from the ground level of one of the units. The incident was immediately upgraded to a first alarm to bring in adequate firefighting resources.
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue firefighters from Station 64 arrived to find heavy flames coming from the front door and out the windows of one of the units and immediately began aggressive fire attack measures. Several additional resources arrived shortly after, and as a team, had control of the fire in under 30 minutes from the time it was called into dispatch.
Fortunately, all occupants safely evacuated without injury when an alert neighbor across the street saw the flames and rushed over to warn everyone. Residents in the primary unit where the fire began had just enough time to hear the neighbors pounding on their door and race down their stairs before flames spread to the second story where they were sleeping.
The fire generated extensive damage to one of the fourplex units and spread to an adjoining unit causing moderate fire damage and displacing both families. The two other undamaged units of the fourplex have been affected by the electricity being shut off to the entire fourplex during firefighting efforts. A total of seven adults and five children have been impacted by the fire. Red Cross has been contacted to help these families with any resources needed. A TVF&R fire investigator is working to determine the cause of the fire.
TVF&R was assisted on scene by Washington County Consolidated Communications Agency (911 dispatch), Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Portland General Electric and Metro West Ambulance.
The fourplex did not have working smoke alarms or a fire sprinkler system. Working smoke alarms greatly increase the chances of getting out and calling the fire department, and more than double your chances of surviving a fire. Make sure you have working smoke alarms placed on every level of your home and in each sleeping area. More information about smoke alarms can be found at: http://www.tvfr.com/145/Smoke-Alarms-Escape-Planning. When a fire sprinkler system is present, the likelihood of injuries and costly damage is dramatically reduced. More information about fire sprinkler systems can be found at: http://www.tvfr.com/index.aspx?nid=144.