Portland Fire responds to raging pallet fire that takes down power lines, threatening buildings

PORTLAND, Ore.COIN) – Firefighters are responding to a raging pallet fire that has downed several power lines and is threatening several buildings near the Whitaker Ponds Natural Area in northeast Portland.

According to a Portland Fire and Rescue post to X at 7:35 pmfirefighters responded to “a large pile of pallets” on fire, with the flames extending to a tree and a house on Thursday night.

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Firefighters said they were taking defensive measures to ensure the flames did not ignite a large fuel storage tank at the site.

Within 30 minutes, the fire escalated to a second-alarm fire and then a third-alarm fire, authorities said.

“Many buildings are being threatened by strong fires. Multiple power lines down,” a follow-up post said.

At 8:21 p.m., PF&R said Port of Portland firefighters were on scene to assist if needed after the fire spread to “one of the metal-clad buildings,” with one structure collapsing. No injuries were reported.

Crews would also be working with a “limited water supply.” The Portland Water Bureau also helped with the effort. With downed power lines, a finite amount of water and the need to protect “valuable equipment,” fire crews were working to manage “competing priorities,” officials said.

At 8:37 p.m., PF&R said the incident was “beginning to stabilize” and that they were beginning rehabilitation rounds for firefighters.

This is a developing story. KOIN 6 News will update this article if more information becomes available.

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