PORTLAND, Ore. — On a rainy Thursday morning, longtime North Portland resident, William Lockner snapped a photo of the former Farmer's Barn Tavern — or what's left of it.
"There's nothing left is there," Lockner said. "We have to save the sign. Signs like that....man."
The sign is impressive, just like the Wednesday night fire that ripped through the building at the corner of North Denver Avenue and North Lombard Street. The first fire crew on scene quickly realized they had their hands full.
"Upon arrival we had heavy smoke, charred smoke pouring out of the structure, cracks in doors," said Rick Graves, PIO for Portland Fire & Rescue. "We opened up and saw it would be a difficult fire to address by going interior."
Fire crews went defensive instead. And eventually getting a handle on the fire. Graves said they've been to the vacant building at least eight times in the last year. The building has been occupied on and off by squatters.
"Not surprising at all with all the non-ideal and nefarious activities that have been going on there," said Morgan, a nearby neighbor.
Morgan said squatters are to blame and neighbors have been complaining for a long time. But city officials did not dispute that.
"We've gone and investigated every one of those complaints," said Ken Ray, PIO for City of Portland Bureau of Development Services.
Ray said the city saw some clear violations and told the property owner — identified as Farmer's Barn LLC — to make changes. That was easier said than done, he said.
"In recent months we've had less success in getting the owner to engage in improving the property, so we applied for and received an administrative warrant to go on the property ourselves and secure the property and clean it up," Ray said.
That was in February and later that same month, KGW has learned, the property owner applied for a permit to demolish the vacant building. But by the looks of Farmer's Barn Tavern after this week's massive fire, a full-blown demo may not be necessary after all.
Lockner, instead, would like an opportunity to collect some mementos.
"I'd like to put some of the bricks in my backyard," he said. "Would be kind of neat, you know."
Investigators are asking anyone with information about what happened to pick up the phone and call authorities.