PORTLAND, Ore. — A fire destroyed four businesses in Southeast Portland on Tuesday.
"I had everything in that store and I don't have insurance," said Evan Shlaes, owner of Really Good Stuff. "It's a total loss."
The fire started just after noon at a commercial building along Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and 13th Avenue.
The building holds multiple businesses, including two restaurants and two retail stores. Really Good Stuff houses a half dozen small businesses.
"That's what is weighing on me right now," Shlaes said.
Photos and video show the building destroyed. Portland Fire said the roof of the building collapsed, making it more difficult to put out the fire.
"Every single small business on Hawthorne will be impacted by this," said Roger Jones of the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association. "It'll telegraph through because it could happen anywhere."
Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the fire caused a 'smoke explosion.' A Portland firefighter shared video that shows a plume of smoke coming from the building as firefighters run away from it.
Both firefighters injured are expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday.
Fire officials said nobody was in any of the businesses at the time of the fire and nobody else was hurt.
Lounge Lizard, an antique furniture store in the building, posted on its Instagram page and said its employees were safe. It also added a message to the other businesses housed in the building, "To our neighbors Really Good Stuff, Riyadh's Lebanese and Thai Touch: our hearts go out to the very best neighbors we could have."
Lounge Lizard and Really Good Stuff have both launched GoFundMe fundraisers to help with rebuilding costs and supporting vendors and artisans.
Video from KGW's helicopter Sky8 shows what's left of the building.
Portland Fire & Rescue has not released any information on the cause of the fire. Crews are expected to stay there through the night to extinguish any hot spots remaining.
Videos and photos of the fire
Large SE Portland fire
