Woman dies, firefighter hurt in Klamath Falls house fire

Authorities say a woman died in an early-morning house fire in Klamath Falls. Klamath County Fire District 1 officials say the blaze was reported early Thursday by people passing by. Authorities say the people tried to get inside but were unsuccessful because of the extent of the flames. KTVL-TV reports authorities found the body of 73-year-old Madeline Murray in the living room. Authorities say a firefighter suffered a knee injury, was treated at a hospital and released. The fire department estimated about $80,000 worth of damage to the home and ruled it accidental.
KTVZ-TV NBC/CW 21

Fires at US Bank Tower, other Portland spots ruled arson

At least 3 arsons kept Portland Fire & Rescue crews busy through the early hours of Thursday, most in the same area where another arson was set one week ago. The calls came in at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and at 1:30 a.m., 2:35 a.m. and 3:45 a.m., PF&R officials said. None of them did a lot of damage and no one was injured, but the last one had a higher potential of greater harm. That one brought crews to the US Bank Tower on SW 5th and Oak. One stairwell was smoke-filled and some combustible material was found on the 6th floor. Fires in high-rises are particularly tough to battle for obvious reasons.
KOIN-TV CBS 6

Shirley’s Tippy Canoe in Troutdale destroyed by fire, cause unknown

PHOTO: A popular restaurant in Troutdale was completely destroyed after it caught fire Friday morning. Corbett Fire Chief Dave Flood confirmed to FOX 12 that crews were called out to a fire at Shirley's Tippy Canoe, located at 28242 Historic Columbia River Highway, just after 5 a.m. Multnomah County deputies were patrolling the area and saw heavy smoke coming from a second-story window. Crews arrived to the scene and found flames coming from the second-story. An offensive attack began, but Chief Flood said crews had to back out and attack from the outside because of the flames. No injuries were reported, and no one was inside at the time of the fire.
KPTV FOX 12 Portland

Woman hit by driver, seriously hurt on Tualatin Valley Highway in Aloha

Tualatin Valley Highway was closed in both directions Thursday evening after a driver hit a pedestrian in Aloha. The pedestrian, a woman, was seriously injured, according to firefighters. The road was closed between 192nd Avenue and 198th Avenue and reopened Thursday night. Some side streets were also temporarily closed. A Life Flight helicopter transported the woman to a hospital, according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. The crash occurred around 5:30 p.m. in the same area where a pedestrian was hit by a hit-and-run driver a couple weeks ago. That person went to the hospital with leg injuries. There is no crosswalk in the area, though it is close to an intersection.
KPTV FOX 12 Portland

Fire decimates Joseph Charter school gym

Joseph Charter School students were enjoying a leisurely lunch. Within minutes they would find their world turned upside down. Eight-grader Nathan Bosch got a surprise when he headed for the weight room on the second level of the JCS gym, Sather Court. “I heard a buzzing sound,” he said. “I looked up and there was white smoke coming from the ceiling. Then the fire alarm went off. I just ran.” He ran in the right direction-- to the office and reported where he’d seen smoke. School fire drills had paid off. Within five minutes, and closer to three, every student was out of the school and harm’s way. Many left their jackets, backpacks and other possessions in their classrooms. “The emergency responders, especially Joseph Fire got here really fast,” said Christina Eaves. Eaves was serving food in the lunch line when the fire alarm went off. She said that the school filled with smoke very quickly, and that teachers gathered their classes and exited the building rapidly.
Wallowa County Chieftain - Metered Site

Lebanon fire that injured neighbor was intentionally set, officials say

A fire that sent one man to the hospital was set on purpose, Lebanon Fire District officials said. The fire caused a limited amount of damage to a home under construction on the 1300 block of South Second Street. Firefighters responded at about 6:06 on Wednesday morning, putting the fire out and removing smoldering debris from the building. Officials said the Lebanon Fire Marshal’s investigation discovered that a fire had been built inside the structure and it spread to a nearby structural lumber and shower insert. The damage was limited to this area and some wiring, wall studs, and subflooring material. There was no electricity in the home at the time. “At this point in time we don’t have enough information to determine if there was criminal intent or if this was a warming fire which got out of control,” Lebanon Fire Marshal Jason Bolen said.
KEZI-TV ABC 9

Follow-up: Fire captain shares story of rescuing fishermen in Coos Bay, ’Not very often that you see survivals like this’

In an incredible rescue, caught on camera, three fishermen were saved from their capsized boat on the southern Oregon coast Tuesday night. The crew was trapped in the engine room for about an hour with water up to their chins at times. That is, until a team of firefighters got them out. It was just before 7 p.m. Tuesday when a Coast Guard aircrew out training happened to spot a capsized fishing boat near Coos Bay. They called in Hauser and North Bay firefighters, all four of them volunteers, to check things out from the ground. Hauser Fire Capt. Lawrence Van Hoof said things were looking grim, especially when they saw an empty survival suit on shore and no footprints.
KPTV-TV FOX 12 Portland

Firefighters from the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest will head to Australia

Federal firefighting personnel from the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (RRSNF) will join another wave of U.S. resources headed to Australia in an effort to combat widespread bushfires that have wracked the country. "As wildfires continue to burn in Australia, the United States has been sending U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service wildfire personnel to assist with ongoing wildfire suppression efforts," RRSNF said in a statement. This time, the nationwide National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) received a request from Australian officials for several incident management teams who specialize in managing wildfires, RRSNF said. The country has also asked for aircraft managers, firefighters crews, and chainsaw operators.
KDRV-TV ABC 12

Man on meth stole 7 trucks, camped in them and then torched them during 3-week crime spree in Multnomah County

After a three-week spree of stealing seven U-Haul and other rental trucks in Portland and Gresham, Shane Bradley Dorn Sr. literally “just crashed,” a Multnomah County prosecutor said Wednesday. Officers arrested Dorn when he was found sleeping - and high on methamphetamine - in an unoccupied unit at Northeast Portland’s Fort Knox Mini-Storage and U-Haul business, according to court records. Dorn engineered his binge using a pry bar to break into overnight lock boxes where customers would return keys for the rental vehicles, the court records show. Initially indicted on 30 charges, Dorn pleaded guilty to five charges: second-degree arson, second-degree burglary, first-degree aggravated theft and two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Portland Oregonian, Hillsboro Argus, Oregon Live.com