PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A fire chased multiple people out of an abandoned two-story duplex in the Lloyd District neighborhood Thursday morning, Portland Fire & Rescue said.
The blaze started at around 7:30 a.m. and scorched part of the residence located on Northeast Grand Avenue and Northeast Halsey Street. To reach the flames, PF&R spokesperson Rick Graves said crews had to rip off the plywood boarding up the home’s entrances.
Witnesses reported seeing multiple people running from the residence before officials arrived. Officials confirmed no one was inside and said no injuries were reported.
The home was built as a single-family residence in 1911 but has since been converted to a duplex, which the bureau said created some additional challenges. Further, officials explained that crews had to be “quite cautious” due to the unsafe conditions, including heavy clutter of human waste and debris.
“Within the structure, there are multiple holes, previous fires here. It’s unsafe in a sense, but it’s not part of our unsafe buildings,” Graves told KOIN 6 at the scene.
Graves told KOIN 6 that crews have responded to the home before.
“Many of the people that responded today have been here before and have intimate knowledge of the inside of the structure based on previous incidents,” said Graves.
Photos show the duplex in disrepair with graffiti covering much of the lower floor’s exterior.
Firefighters remained at the scene to monitor hotspots and for what was expected to be a “long clean up.” An investigation is underway.