PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Large plumes of smoke filled the sky after a second-alarm blaze in Southeast Portland resulted in a total loss Thursday morning, according to fire officials.
Portland Fire & Rescue tweeted at 4:27 a.m. firefighters were at SE Luther Road, just west of 82nd. Several crews responded and battled the fire at Eagle Trailer & Manufacturing.
A man that was working nearby told KOIN 6 he was completing a report when he heard an explosion.
“I thought a cannon went off,” said Naythin Fahey. “It kind of shook the room a little bit. It wasn’t like no small explosion. It was something of some magnitude.”
Fahey said that explosion created a “big boom and a lot of smoke.”
“The building just blew up,” he continued. “I looked behind me and saw a bunch of black smoke. I got over here to make sure everyone was okay.”
Nearly an hour after the initial tweet PF&R recalled the fire.
There were reportedly 700 inflated tires inside the building that were heard bursting during the blaze. Those tires are expected to burn for some time.
Portions of the structure appears to have collapsed in on itself. Fire officials said the main metal-clad building was destroyed, but no other structures were damaged.
A PF&R investigator told KOIN 6 News reporter Kohr Harlan that it appears the fire started in a dumpster outside the building. Further, fire officials said there are currently no signs this was arson, but the investigation is ongoing.
No one was reportedly hurt during the fire.
An early morning blaze in SE Portland results in total loss on Thursday, June 16, 2022 (Courtesy: PF&R). 
An early morning blaze in SE Portland results in total loss on Thursday, June 16, 2022 (Courtesy: PF&R). 
An early morning blaze in SE Portland results in total loss on Thursday, June 16, 2022 (Courtesy: PF&R). 
Large plumes of smoke are seen rising from a 2-alarm blaze in SE Portland on Thursday, June 16, 2022 (KOIN).