Sunday, 23 August 2015
Written by Jim Redden
PORTLAND FIRE & RESCUE/DICK HARRIS - This commercial laundry in Northeast Porland was damaged by fire Sunday morning.
Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a fire in a commercial laundry at 14321 N.E. Whitaker Way early Sunday.
No one was injured in the fire, although additional resources were called in because of the potential for a large fire load due to the number of garments, towels, and chemicals — including detergents and cleaners — in such a business.
According to PF&R, initial reports at 6:12 a.m. were that smoke and flames had been seen inside the building and employees had evacuated it. Additional calls came in from neighboring businesses with reports of heavy black smoke coming from the roof.
When firefighters arrived at the UniClean building, they quickly gained access to it and began searching for the area of the fire. A second alarm was called because of the size of the structure and the nature of the business.
Within minutes of arrival, crews were able to locate the area of the fire in the southwest corner of the building. The sprinkler system had activated and played a key element in keeping the fire at bay until fire fighters were able to gain access and knock it down.
Truck crews were able to ventilate the building efficiently by removing the sky lights on the roof of the building.
A PF&R Investigator determined has the fire to be accidental, caused by a laundry bin full of oil soaked rags that had a chemical reaction. This type of fire can occur when a oil soaked towel or rag is slowly heated to its ignition point through oxidation.
No damage estimate was immediately available.
Additional resources that responded to the fire included: eight Engines; four Trucks; one Squad; one Investigator; five Chiefs; and one Rehab rig.