PORTLAND, Ore. — One person died at the Hollywood East Apartments late Thursday night in what police are calling a suspected overdose.
Portland Fire & Rescue says their crews were called to what appears to be three medical incidents at the building on Northeast Broadway near 44th Avenue about an hour apart.
Several fire engines and ambulances responded to the 14-story building which houses low-income tenants.
Officials say the first call was around 10:40 p.m. when one person apparently overdosed on an unknown substance. They were not transported to the hospital.
At 11:46 p.m, crews were called back to the building for additional possible overdoses. The fire department said there were as many as three patients on different floors of the building and two were transported to the hospital by ambulance.
Portland Police say a man was unable to be revived. Investigators and the medical examiner say his death is being investigated as a suspected overdose. However, the cause of death will likely not be confirmed for several months due to the length of time for toxicology tests.
The second patient is an adult female who we're told is expected to survive.
There may have been a third patient on a different floor of the building, but it's not clear if they were transported to a hospital.
The Narcotics and Organized Crime unit was notified of the situation, but it's not known yet if there is a formal investigation.
The Hollywood East Apartments is Section 8 low-income housing managed by Home Forward.
According to the Portland Police Bureau's Narcotics and Organized Crime Statistics, there were 29 investigations into overdose deaths in the city in 2020, and 34 in both 2018 and 2019.
