Shortly before 2 a.m. today, fire crews from Hillsboro Fire & Rescue and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded to a residential fire in the 3900 block of Southeast Noland Street south of Hillsboro. The homeowner called 911 to report that his home was on fire with flames coming out of the roof.
Firefighters arrived to find a one-story home with heavy smoke and flames showing. Due to the rural location, water tenders supplied the water needed for extinguishment. The fire was upgraded to a first-alarm assignment to bring additional resources to the scene.
Due to the heavy fire involvement, crews initially had to work defensively to extinguish from the outside of the structure before being able to move to the interior to complete the extinguishment. Once they made their way inside, firefighters were able to quickly control the bulk of the fire before moving on to mopping up the hot spots located throughout the home.
The American Red Cross is assisting two residents of the home who were displaced. The home was a total loss. Two pet cats were also found deceased during a search.
TVF&R was assisted on the scene by Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, American Medical Response, Portland General Electric, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with nearly 50 fire and emergency medical services personnel assigned to the incident.
The initial investigation by a TVF&R fire investigator found the fire to be unintentional, but an exact cause has yet to be determined.