Wednesday afternoon, multiple callers to 911 reported seeing heavy black smoke and flames coming from a home in the 3600 block of NW 163rd Terrace in the Bethany-area of unincorporated Washington County. Based on the descriptions and number of callers, the call was upgraded to bring additional personnel and units to the scene. At least one nearby resident evacuated their home due to proximity and size of the fire. While driving to the scene, the incident commander also confirmed seeing a visible black column of smoke coming from the location.
The first crew arrived within five minutes and began to search the home to confirm whether any occupants remained inside. The large number of personal belongings inside the residence made access to the interior of the home and search operations challenging. While firefighters worked to confirm all occupants were out of the home, fire crews began to attack the fire. The incident commander called for a second alarm to bring additional resources, to further aid initial fire crews facing challenging fire conditions.
With assistance from Hillsboro Fire, firefighters brought the fire under control, and completed their search confirming that no occupants were in the home. A fire investigator is at the scene and the cause remains under investigation.
Source: Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue