News Release from: Hillsboro Fire and Rescue
GARAGE FIRE DISPLACES HILLSBORO FAMILY - UPDATE WITH CAUSE
Posted: January 16th, 2013 8:40 AM
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2013-01/1821/60924/Investigator0862.jpg (A Hillsboro Fire Investigator looks for evidence of how a garage fire began Tuesday evening on SE 52nd Ave.)
Hillsboro Fire investigators say Tuesday evening's small fire in a residential garage was caused by smoking materials too close to combustibles. The occupant told investigators he had smoked in the garage prior to leaving to run errands. The area where the occupant had smoked had several different items that were all combustible.
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue reminds citizens to always use a sturdy, deep, non-combustible ashtray to extinguish smoking materials. Keep other combustibles away from the ash tray. Empty ash trays only into non-combustible containers, such as a metal can.
Damage estimates now are $10,000 for the structure and $4,000 for the garage and home's contents.
Original News Release
A one-alarm fire damaged a Hillsboro home Tuesday evening and forced the family living there to find shelter elsewhere. Fifty-two year old Arthur Tacleb called 9-1-1 at 6:57 pm and told operators his home in the 1600 block of SE 52 Avenue was on fire. When the first arriving firefighters from the Hillsboro Fire Department's Brookwood Fire Station #2 arrived, they found heavy dark smoke coming from the garage. The company officer upgraded the response to a full first alarm to bring additional resources. Firefighters cut away the two car garage door to get to the flames. They quickly doused the fire before it could spread to the remainder of the home. In all, 20 firefighters from HFD and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue responded.
Tacleb told investigators he had run an errand and returned home about 45-minutes later. His two dogs and cat managed to escape the home unharmed. No one else was at home at the time.
The garage suffered from five to eight thousand dollars in damage. The interior of the house received only light smoke damage. The fire impacted the electrical distribution panel. Fire investigators are at the scene trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
The Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting Tacleb's family with temporary accommodations. Hillsboro Fire and Rescue reminds all citizens to check your home's smoke alarms MONTHLY to ensure they are working. They are your only means of being alerted to a fire when you are asleep. For more information, visit www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/fire or call 503-681-6166
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