Dozens Rescued From Care Facility In Major Fire In SE Portland

PORTLAND, OR — Twenty-four people were rescued without injury from a residential care facility in Southeast Portland as a major fire ravaged the building and collapsed its roof early Wednesday morning, Portland Fire & Rescue said.

One staff member suffered unspecified minor injuries as he helped others to safety, fire officials said. The condition of the staff member, who was not identified, was not known.

Another staff member who helped with the evacuations was uninjured; that staff member was also not identified.

The fire erupted at the Hope N Care facility at 12045 S.E. Pardee St. Its roof collapsed, and the building was rendered uninhabitable, fire officials said. Officials were looking for alternative housing for the facility's residents.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, Portland Fire & Rescue said.

Portland Fire & Rescue responded just after 1 a.m. to reports of a roof fire at the facility, fire officials said.

Fire crews arrived within a minute as staff members helped people out of the building, according to fire officials. Firefighters went door to door and helped 24 people get out.

The department called the fire a "mass casualty incident," which brought out more fire and medical resources, fire officials said.

Firefighters determined that the fire moved through the attic and endangered the roof; they were ordered out of the building and told to attack the fire from outside, officials said.

The roof collapsed at 1:44 a.m., and the fire was brought under control around 2:25 a.m., officials said.

Fire Chief Sarah Boone praised the "heroism" of the two employees who helped get people to safety, saying that they "risked their lives starting the initial evacuation of the residents under heavy fire conditions."

Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, the City Council member who oversees the fire bureau, praised firefighters "for all you do to keep Portland safe."

She added: "This had the potential to be a mass casualty event had it not been for the heroism of the care facility employees and Portland Fire & Rescue’s firefighters, who together evacuated everyone in the building and prevented a horrible tragedy."