PORTLAND, Ore. — Crews responded to an apartment fire in North Portland on Thursday morning, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) reported.
Portland Fire Lt. Terry Foster told reporters that there were no reported injuries. One person was evaluated for smoke inhalation, but nobody was taken to the hospital.
Fire crews responded to the Unthank Plaza apartment buildings, located in the area of North Williams Avenue between Russell Street and Sacramento Street, at around 10:30 a.m. Portland Fire quickly called a second alarm to bring out more resources.
When crews arrived, smoke was coming out of a third-floor unit that quickly turned into flames. Foster said firefighters found heavy smoke coming down the hallway of the third floor. Once they searched the unit where the fire was located and found it was vacant, they evacuated the entire building.
Sprinklers in the building did come on and worked properly, Foster said.
"Fortunately, the systems worked well and there was nobody seriously injured," he said.
Foster said he wasn't sure when residents would be able to return to their rooms.
Unthank Plaza is a Home Forward affordable housing apartment building. Home Forward spokesperson Ariane Le Chevallier said 26 units were affected by the water sprinkler system, but all other units are accessible. The Red Cross Cascades Region is assisting some residents with temporary housing.
"The building is stable, and residents have on-site resources for continued support. We want to thank the property management team and Portland Fire & Rescue for their swift response," said Le Chevallier.
Le Chevallier added that they were aware of one resident who did go to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
One resident said the fire was caused by an electric blanket, but Portland Fire did not confirm that information. Foster said the cause of the fire is currently unknown.
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