A West Hills resident entered his burning house Thursday at 2660 SW Garden View Avenue this afternoon, found his partner who had been overcome by dense smoke, and pulled him to safety. At 3:56 P.M., firefighters from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue’s West Slope Station arrived, four minutes after being dispatched. A huge plume of smoke guided them to the scene. Firefighters immediately entered the home and completed a search for other possible victims, despite heavy fire and smoke. None were found. Meanwhile, additional units arrived and initiated an aggressive, multi-level attack focusing on the back of the home where the fire was heaviest. The need to care for the fire victim and spread of the fire into the attic area of the home prompted the incident commander to request a 2nd alarm. Approximately 40 personnel from TVF&R and the Portland Fire Bureau eventually responded to the scene. The fire was controlled after 20 minutes.
The injured individual was treated briefly on scene and then transported to an area hospital with injuries that were described as non-life threatening. Transport by Metro West Ambulance occurred approximately five minutes after emergency personnel arrived on scene. No fire fighting personnel were injured.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. No estimate of damage is available at this time, but the home was heavily impacted by fire and smoke.