PORTLAND, Ore. — A fire in North Portland destroyed an abandoned tavern Wednesday evening. The building was formerly home to Farmer's Bar Tavern, which was permanently closed in 2018, according to the Willamette Week.
Just after 7:30 p.m. Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) crews responded to a report of a fire near the intersection of North Denver Avenue and North Lombard Street in the Kenton neighborhood. The first fire crew found the vacant tavern across an old Rite Aid and the Arbor Lodge Shelter engulfed in flames.
Flames were seen through many of the boarded-up doors and windows of the building, fire officials said.
After removing a few plywood coverings, firefighters were able to cautiously enter the building to try and find the source of the fire, but fire crews withdrew due to dangerous conditions.
The building is one of dozens in Portland marked as "unsafe" for fire crews to enter during a fire.
"We did everything we possibly could to evaluate every opening to see if there was anyone in the structure, but it was just heavy fire and smoke," said Rick Graves the PIO for PF&R. "It was too dangerous — given we know there are holes in the floors from previous fires here. Even though we have a history of it, we know its a very dangerous building."
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.
Firefighters responding to the scene on Wednesday evening said they did not find anyone inside.
Fire crews were able to gain access to the building by tearing down walls with tools. This allowed firefighters to slowly extinguish the flames. The building stands alone on the corner and was not a threat to any other neighboring structures.
Map shows location of former Farmer's Barn Tavern
In January, another building on the list of "unsafe" locations for firefighters caught fire in downtown Portland. An old, three-story church built in 1905 that was formerly home to the Portland Korean Church was destroyed by the flames. It had been permanently closed and vacant for years.