PORTLAND, Ore. — A man has died following a house fire that broke out early Monday morning in Southeast Portland, according to a spokesperson for Portland Fire & Rescue.
The fire happened around 3:24 a.m. near Southeast Flavel Street and Southeast 76th in the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood. When they arrived, crews with Portland Fire & Rescue saw large flames coming from what appeared to be the garage, and the fire was spreading to neighboring homes.
"The initial fire started in what appeared to be a garage," said Jason Stein with Portland Fire & Rescue. "There's heavy fire damage in there. The house adjacent has suffered some exterior damage and a little bit of smoke damage, but no fire damage inside."
During an initial search of the home, firefighters located a a man. They tried to resuscitate the him, but he died at the scene. Portland Fire & Rescue has not released his name, but said he's estimated to be in his 40s.
Firefighters were able to extinguish most of the fire within 20 minutes. Crews encountered some challenges while putting out the fire, including live powerlines that were down across a fence. Pacific power helped with the powerlines. Portland Fire & Rescue also said that the closest fire hydrant was out of service, so crews had to used a different hydrant that was 300 feet away.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. As of 6:30 a.m., Southeast Flavel Street was closed to traffic between 72nd and 76th.
This is a developing story and it may be updated when more information becomes available.