Massive 4-Alarm Warehouse Fire In Portland Early Friday

PORTLAND, OR — Portland Fire & Rescue crews tackled a massive warehouse fire early Friday. Before the bulk of the fire was handled, fire officials were forced declare the blaze a 4-alarm situation.

Just before noon Friday, Portland fire officials announced the fire was caused by "improper control of an open fire," noting that "Investigators found a burn barrel that was being used too closely to large stacks of wood pallets."

Videos and pictures posted to the agency's Twitter account show the dramatic response as it happened. What may be hard to ascertain from those images is how the response was initially challenged, according to fire officials, by large, floating embers created by large stacks of burning wooden pallets that were surrounding the building, numerous power lines, and the proximity of fire hydrants.

Fire crews were initially dispatched to the fire at 8235 N. Kerby Ave. just before 1 a.m., officials said. The bulk of the fire was reportedly handled by 2 a.m. Sept. 28.

One PF&R firefighter was reportedly evaluated for heat exhaustion, but that person did not require hospitalization. No one was in the building when fire crews arrived, officials said, noting also that no other injuries were reported.

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This post has been updated to include a cause, as explained by Portland Fire & Rescue

Images via Portland Fire & Rescue