Apartment Fire: 8 displaced after apartment fire in SE Portland

Eight people were displaced following an apartment fire at a SE Portland apartment building last week.

Firefighters responded to an apartment fire at the Wimbledon Square apartments at 2837 SE Colt (Southeast 28th and Southeast Colt Drive) just before 9:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found heavy fire coming from a three-story apartment and was quickly upgraded to a second alarm fire.  In total, four units were heavily damaged.

Apartment fires like this are more common at older apartments that do not have adequate fire suppressions systems (fire sprinklers) or fire doors separating areas of the complex. In some instances, older buildings are “grandfathered in” to older, more dangerous building codes. Smoke damage can lead to lung injuries; apartment fires can often lead to serious burn injuries and even death.