Early Sunday morning, a fast-moving fire tore through an empty commercial building on Northwest Division Street in Gresham, killing one person and leaving the structure almost completely burned out. Neighbors watched from their windows and sidewalks as thick smoke and flames punched through the roof while fire crews fought to get control. The blaze briefly shut down the roadway as firefighters established a water supply and secured the scene.
Gresham Fire crews were dispatched around 3:52 a.m. and arrived to find fire already burning through the second-floor roof, according to KATU. With the building heavily involved, firefighters shifted to a defensive exterior attack, using aerial water streams from a ladder truck while mutual-aid units backed them up on the ground. The heat and wind sent embers sailing into nearby grassy areas, and crews chased down several small spot fires before they could spread.
The site had been fenced off to keep people out, and neighbors say the property was already known on the block for past fires. The Gresham Fire Department operates out of the city's Public Safety Building and covers the east side of Multnomah County, regularly coordinating with neighboring agencies when large-scale incidents like this erupt.
What crews encountered
Firefighters reported serious structural hazards inside the building, including holes in the floors, ceilings and roof, conditions that made going in on foot too dangerous and forced crews to stick with an exterior strategy, according to KATU. About 39 firefighters from Gresham and Portland worked the incident. Crews temporarily shut down Northwest Division Street to run hoses to a hydrant across the road, and several units stayed at the scene for hours while Gresham Police and the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office began their work. Officials say the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Investigation and next steps
The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office is responsible for handling sudden and unexplained deaths in the county and works alongside police and fire investigators to determine the cause and manner of death, according to the office's public materials. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the person who died and say the fire's origin remains under active investigation. Police are asking anyone with information to get in touch with the Gresham Police Department.
Neighbors along Division Street can expect increased activity in the area while investigators continue their work at the scene. Officials say they will share more details as they become available. Residents looking for alerts and safety information can visit the Gresham Fire Department website.
