One killed, apartment building damaged in Forest Grove fire

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A fire in Forest Grove left one dead and heavily damaged an apartment building early Friday evening, authorities said.

At around 5:15 p.m., Forest Grove Fire & Rescue crews responded to a reported house fire in the 1900 block of A Street.

While on their way to the scene, the fire was upgraded to second alarm after crews observed a large column of smoke in the area.

Officials said the first arriving crews found heavy fire coming out of one side of an old house which had been converted into apartments.

Two off-duty firefighters from Hillsboro Fire & Rescue were also already helping residents evacuate from the second floor using a ladder.

Crews then fought the blaze both outside and inside the building, but officials said the flames spreading to the attic caused the roof to weaken. As a result, firefighters left the building and continued to put out the fire from the outside.

Officials said it took crews over an hour to knock down a majority of the fire, then two more hours to put out hotspots in the walls and attic.

One person was found dead when firefighters first arrived on scene.

Additionally, one firefighter was taken to a hospital for heat exhaustion.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.