FlashAlert.net
Copyright 2007 FlashAlert.net
TUALATIN VALLEY, Ore. — A one-alarm fire critically injured a Beaverton woman and heavily damaged her home Tuesday morning.
Neighbors reported to 9-1-1 dispatchers at 8:03 a.m. that smoke was coming from the top floor of a tri-level home on Kimberly Drive. Firefighters from four different Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue fire stations converged on the home with the first arriving engines from South Beaverton and Beaverton Main Fire Stations reporting heavy fire coming from the top story windows.
Upon being told by a neighbor that a resident may still be inside the burning structure, firefighters mounted an aggressive interior fire attack while additional teams searched the building.
Within minutes, firefighters located an adult female in an upstairs bedroom area. Firefighter/paramedics reported the patient was unresponsive with no detectable pulse. They quickly brought the patient outside and began aggressive cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Metro West Ambulance transported the patient to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Beaverton. Two TVF&R firefighter/paramedics accompanied the patient continuing CPR treatment.
Upon evaluation and initial treatment at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, the patient was transferred to Legacy Emanuel Burn Center in Portland. Beaverton police officers rendered immediate assistance by contacting the patient’s family and transporting them to the hospital.
The fire caused heavy damage to the third level of the home with smoke and water damage to the other two levels. Initial damage estimates may exceed $75,000. TVF&R Fire Investigators are on scene looking through the fire debris and conducting interviews to determine a cause for the blaze. Upon initial examination of the 1970s vintage home, investigators were unable to determine whether the home had working smoke alarms. It did not have residential sprinkler systems.
For more information on fire safety, smoke alarms and escape planning, visit www.tvfr.com.