A fast-moving fire ripped through a line of floating homes on the Columbia River in North Portland early Friday, destroying two houses and sending a thick black plume of smoke over Interstate 5. crews pulled two people to safety, and officials said no one suffered serious injuries.
Where and when
The blaze broke out shortly before 4 a.m. near the 1500 block of North Marine Drive, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Portland Fire & Rescue said on social media that distant hydrants complicated the response, so a fireboat joined land crews to knock down the flames while units stayed on scene into the morning.
Firefighting on water and land
Local television cameras caught dramatic scenes as firefighters attacked the blaze from both the docks and the river. Live coverage confirmed the two floating homes were a total loss, KPTV reported. As the main fire was brought under control, crews moved through nearby slips and a floating home under construction, checking for damage, lingering hot spots and other hazards before wrapping up suppression efforts.
Floating-home rules and risks
Fire officials have long warned that moorage fires are especially tricky. Floating homes sit close together, access can be tight and water supply is not always straightforward, which means a small flame can quickly turn into a dock-wide disaster. Portland’s code requires extra fire-safety measures in many floating-structure settings to cut those risks. The city spells out those standards, aimed at improving firefighter access and slowing the spread of flames, in its floating-structure regulations on Portland.gov.
Recent river incidents
This is not the only serious fire on the river this spring. In April, a separate multi-vessel blaze sent a Portland fireboat racing to the Columbia, underscoring how fast flames can threaten crowded moorages. That incident, and the questions it raised about marine response capacity, was detailed in coverage of the triple-boat blaze on the Columbia River.
On Friday, fire investigators remained at the North Portland moorage as crews secured the charred slips and began a formal probe. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, authorities told The Oregonian/OregonLive. City officials urged residents in river communities to double-check that moorage managers have up-to-date emergency plans and that docks are kept clear so firefighters can move quickly when the next call comes in.
