A fire early Wednesday in North Portland destroyed an apartment complex that was under construction, marking the third blaze at an unfinished building in the region within the past week.
Fire investigators in Clark County are sharing information with those in Portland to see if the fire is connected to two arsons at construction sites in Vancouver last week.
Portland firefighters responded to a three-story under-construction apartment complex near North Killingsworth Street and Minnesota Avenue for a fire reported at about 4:30 a.m., said Portland Fire & Rescue Lt. Rich Chatman.
Crews found the structure in flames and attacked the blaze with hoses, spending about 30 minutes and 60,000 gallons of water to bring the fire under control, Chatman said. The building was destroyed.
Three nearby houses were damaged by the heat of the fire, and three other houses sustained roof damage from flying embers, Chatman said.
Investigators remained at the scene throughout the morning collecting evidence and talking to witnesses. Anyone with information about the Portland fire is asked to call 503-823-INFO (4636).
“Fire investigators have concerns about how big the fire was, how quickly it became a big fire,” Chatman said. “They’ll definitely be looking at similarities in all of the arson fires in the area, to include the Vancouver fires.”
Last week, Vancouver firefighters responded to two arsons at construction sites in the same part of town within a 24-hour period.
A 12-unit apartment complex being built at 4721 N.E. 66th Ave. was destroyed in a blaze reported at about 2:40 a.m. Aug. 10. That fire was ruled an arson, and investigators are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in that case. Make a tip by calling 360-606-9024.
At 1:30 a.m. the following day, flames were seen coming through the roof of an under-construction two-story house at 5712 N.E. 47th St., just half a mile away. Clark County Assistant Fire Marshal Richard Martin said the agency has identified a few people of interest in the case and are following up on leads this week.
Investigators ask anyone with information about that fire to call the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office at 360-397-2186.
Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said that local fire investigators are sharing information with Portland fire officials to see if the fires are connected, but it was too early to know for sure, she said.
