PORTLAND, Ore. — A man was found dead inside a home after fire crews responded to a call about a house fire and an explosion in the area of Northeast 120th Avenue and Broadway in Portland early Monday morning, Portland Fire and Rescue (PF&R) reported.
Responding firefighters arrived around 4:15 a.m. Monday and saw flames and smoke coming from the front corner of the house. There were reports that a person was inside the home, so crews immediately entered.
After the fire was out, firefighters found a 66-year-old man dead inside the room where the fire originated. Another person was taken to the hospital with minor burn injuries and concerns of smoke inhalation. The names of the person who died in the fire and the person who was injured have not been reported.
The fire was mostly contained to the room where it started, said PF&R spokesperson Sean Whalen. The cause of fire is unknown at this time, Whalen said, but he said he did know that the explosion happened after the fire started.
"In other words, there was something in there, some type of pressurized cylinder that heated up and exploded because of the fire," Whalen said.
PF&R later reported that the explosion was from home oxygen containers.
Whalen said the house was cluttered and access to the house was a challenge for fire crews because of narrow roads.
Investigators are expected to be on scene for several more hours, Whalen said.
PF&R said there were no working smoke alarms found in the structure.
"Smoke alarms save lives," Portland Fire said in a news release. "Please take the time to check and replace all non-operational smoke detectors in your residence."
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is made available.
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