Update: Two-alarm fire leaves eight Raleigh Hills residents homeless

No injuries in late-night blaze, cause still unknown

The Beaverton Valley Times, Nov 20, 2009, Updated Nov 27, 2009

A two-alarm fire ripped through a Raleigh Hills apartment complex in the early morning Friday, leaving eight residents looking for a new place to stay.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded to the building, located at 4804 S.E. Oleson Road, when several residents called 911 around 4 a.m. and reported seeing large flames shooting from the balcony of the complex’s third floor.

No residents or firefighters were injured during the fire. The cause of the fire is undetermined, TVF&R spokesman Brian Barker explained, because there were several possible ignition points on the third-floor balcony where the fire started.

“Our investigators use a scientific method to pinpoint cause, so unless they can be sure, they don’t pinpoint a specific cause,” he said.

The building sustained $140,000 in damage and $50,000 in residents’ personal property was also destroyed. Two apartment units on the third floor were heavily damaged by fire and smoke, and two units downstairs suffered smoke and water damage.

According to TVF&R, the majority of the flames were contained within 12 minutes of firefighters arriving on the scene.

The Red Cross helped the eight residents displaced by fire-related damage to find emergency housing.

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