Fire destroys metal-clad building in Southeast Portland
An early morning fire destroyed a metal-clad building where trailers were being built in Southeast Portland early Thursday, June 16.
No one was hurt in the blaze. The cause is under investigation.
A man who was working nearby told KOIN 6 News he was completing a report when he heard an explosion.
"I thought a cannon went off," Naythin Fahey said. "It kind of shook the room a little bit. It wasn't like no small explosion. It was something of some magnitude."
Fahey said that explosion created a "big boom and a lot of smoke."
"The building just blew up," he said. "I looked behind me and saw a bunch of black smoke. I got over here to make sure everyone was OK."
According to Portland Fire & Rescue, just before 4:30 a.m., Portland and Clackamas fire crews responded to a commercial fire at 7813 S.E. Luther Road. When the first crews arrived, they found a building that was on fire but had trouble reaching it because of the location. It is between the Springwater Corridor and Johnson Creek Boulevard with a long driveway that was accessed from Luther Road.
When crews were able to reach the building, they found it was fully engulfed in flames. The fire commander determined it would be a defensive fire, meaning it would only be fought from the outside of the building. Because of the volume of flames and potential for spreading, the commander requested a second alarm.
According to the fire bureau, a couple of challenges firefighters faced were limited access to fire apparatus and limited water due to the distance from hydrants. Firefighters were able to keep the fire contained to the one building. The metal building housed parts for constructing trailers, including tires that will burn for some time.
The fire investigator responded and determined that the origin of the fire was a dumpster on the exterior of the building, but the cause is under investigation.
KOIN 6 News is a news partner of the Portland Tribune and contributed to this story.
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