PORTLAND, Ore. — A person trying to keep warm in a makeshift shelter underneath a Portland overpass died Tuesday morning after their shelter caught fire, according to Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R). Investigators believe the fire may have been started by an improvised propane-fed heating device that ignited materials used to insulate the shelter from cold temperatures.
The fire was reported just after 7 a.m. underneath an overpass at North Vancouver Avenue and Columbia Boulevard. A 27-year-old got out before firefighters arrived, but had severe burns over their entire body, PF&R said. Paramedics performed lifesaving measures on the person, who was not identified, and took them to the burn center at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. The person later died from their burn injuries.
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who oversees the fire bureau, said the city needs to figure out a system to provide people with safe and warm shelters.
“I am heartbroken to learn that a community member experiencing houselessness has died while trying to tend to their most basic needs of shelter and warmth,” Hardesty said in her statement. “This is precisely why we need to urgently move forward with sanctioned camping, tiny home villages, safe RV parking, and other forms of low barrier, transitional housing that provides a higher degree of safety and stability for those currently sleeping on our streets. Moving these projects forward will make Portland safer for everyone. We can and must do better.”
Earlier this winter, PF&R reported responding to several calls a day involving tent fires. In December, a person who was living near an Interstate 405 on-ramp in North Portland died when a candle caught their tent on fire.
