100 firefighters responded to a fire at a building located at 5127 SW Macadam Avenue Sunday night.
When crews arrived shortly after 7 pm, they found smoke coming from the elevator shaft. When the fire broke out, there were a few people in the building, but they all made it out safely.
When crews entered the building, they discovered smoke was banked down to the floor level. During a search to make sure the building was cleared, firefighters noticed the second floor felt spongy, which Portland Fire says that usually means there's a fire below that compromises the structural integrity of the floor crews were standing on.
Due to the size of the building, low visibility, and the weakened areas of the structure, it was challenging for crews to find the fire. Firefighters fought it from the outside because an attack from the inside would put crews at risk. The fire was upgraded to a third alarm within the first 30 minutes, then to a fourth alarm soon after.
At least 100 firefighters battled the blaze, with five fire trucks placed on all sides of the building to surround and drown the fire.
No one was injured in the fire.
Crews worked throughout the night to put water on any flare-ups that occurred. Investigators will not be able to start the investigation until all flare-ups have been extinguished and determine which areas of the building are safe to enter.