News Release from: Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue
TRIPLEX FIRE IN CHARBONNEAU (WILSONVILLE) DISPLACES FOUR
Posted: July 14th, 2012 4:09 AM
At 12:35am this morning, an automatic fire alarm notified 9-1-1 dispatchers that there was a problem in the 7000 block of SW Fairway Drive in the Charbonneau community of Wilsonville. Dispatchers alerted crews from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, but were unable to reach homeowners of a middle unit of a triplex where the alarm signal originated.
Firefighters from TVF&R's south Wilsonville station arrived within six minutes and were met with flames coming from the wood shake roof of the single story set of homes. Fortunately all the occupants had already safely evacuated, though they don't recall hearing the sounds of a fire or smoke alarm. Instead, the owners of the fire unit were startled awake by their barking dog. Once they realized their home was full of smoke, they hurriedly left and alerted their neighbors.
Fire crews aggressively attacked the fire and made their way into the center unit, which was engulfed in flames. Due to the large amount of fire, they focused their efforts on keeping it contained. After forty minutes of fighting the fire from the inside, as well as from an aerial water stream, firefighters extinguished the bulk of the fire limiting most of the damage to the middle unit. Approximately 42 fire personnel from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Aurora Fire District fought the fire and cared for the residents.
The two adjoining units sustained some smoke and heat damage, and utilities were shut down, so all the residents are staying elsewhere with friends and family. One of the two occupants of the fire unit was transported by paramedics from American Medical Response as a precaution due to some mild smoke exposure.
A TVF&R fire investigator remains on scene at this hour to process material evidence and collect information from the residents and witnesses. It is unclear exactly where or how the fire started and there are no damage estimates or further information at this time.
Replies to this message do not go back to the sender.
Go to http://FlashAlert.net/login.html to change or delete these messages.
