On Wednesday night, a former neighborhood tavern in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland was destroyed by a fire. The incident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. on the 7400 block of North Denver Avenue. Firefighters from Portland Fire Rescue were immediately dispatched to the scene upon receiving the report of the fire at the former The Farmer’s Barn Tavern.
According to the authorities, the building was already on their “unsafe building list,” and it has been reported that there have been eight fires at the building in the past year. This has raised concerns about the safety of the building and the people that frequent it.
Neighbors have reported that homeless individuals would frequently go in and out of the building. When the firefighters arrived, they searched the building but were unable to find anyone inside. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident. However, the fire officials have warned that the structure poses an increased risk to firefighters battling the flames due to the building's holes in the floor.
As a result, the Chief ordered the crews to withdraw and go defensive, which involves putting fire on from the master stream and from the hand line on the other side and kind of letting it do its thing. Rick Graves, a spokesperson for Portland Fire Rescue, confirmed this and said that they are currently sitting on a fire that they are putting out from a distance.
Moreover, power was cut to the surrounding neighborhood as flames grew closer to the power lines, but it has since been restored. The authorities are currently investigating the scene to determine the cause of the fire. Firefighters will remain on the scene overnight to watch for hot spots.
This incident highlights the potential dangers of unsafe buildings and the risks that firefighters face when battling flames in such structures. It also raises concerns about the safety of people experiencing homelessness and the need for better resources to support them. The authorities should take necessary steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future and that the safety of the community is not compromised.
We took this video from KPTV FOX 12 Oregon YouTube Channel.
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