Marysville Elementary in SE Portland Burns in 3 Alarm Fire (VIDEO & SLIDESHOW)

Firefighters will remain on scene through the night and most of the day tomorrow.

Photo above courtesy: YouTube Inset photos courtesy: Portland Fire & Rescue

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Large portions of the Marysville Elementary School were destroyed in a fire broke out this morning around 11:30 a.m. The school is located at 7733 SE Raymond Street in SE Portland.

Crews from Portland Fire & Rescue responded to the fire and would eventually be assisted by neighboring fire agencies. Portland Police that were in the area were on the scene in minutes, assisting teachers and staff in evacuating the campus, Lt. Allen Oswalt with Portland Fire & Rescue said.

It was not clear initially if the smoke detector triggered the alarm, one person also reportedly pulled an alarm. It was a 3 alarm fire.

Smoke rising from the hot burning structure was visible for miles, marking the spot for responding firefighters and emergency officials.

Before it was over, two adults were transported for minor smoke inhalation.

The k-3 classrooms were affected, 460 students and 17 teachers were evacuated. There were no injuries beyond the two smoke inhalation cases, and all people were accounted for.

The evacuated students and faculty were taken to Holgate Library in the vicinity of the school.

The part of the Marysville Elementary School building that received extensive damage, is known as the Discovery Center. It is a part of the school used by students for interaction with science and physics.

100 firefighters were dispatched to the scene.

The building is 87 years old, built in 1922, and was primarily a wood structure.

Oswalt said the fire spread rapidly through the structure and in the attic spaces.

Photos from Portland Fire & Rescue

"Firefighters used very aggressive tactics including, trench cuts and interior operations in an effort to limit fire spread."

He explained that trench cuts are holes cut in roofs that span the entire attic space. They are used to direct fire and smoke out of the attic space instead of allowing them to spread to the entire structure.

"The aggressive attack on the fire allowed firefighters to save most of the building," Oswalt added.

"Fire investigators have begun their investigation by interviewing staff and anyone that was in what they believe was the area of origin. The structure is severely unstable and plans will be made to remove the unstable portions so they can get into the area where the fire began."

Along with the 100 firefighters called to fire the fire, were 4 Trucks, 12 Engines, 1 Heavy Rescue nuit, 1 Rescue unit and 6 Chief Officers. Various additional staff members supported the operations.

Clackamas County Fire District #1 and Gresham Fire Department provided companies to respond to calls from Portland stations left vacant by crews at the scene of the fire.

Oswalt says firefighters will remain on scene through the night and most of the day tomorrow.

The last fire inspection for the school was in May 2008. At the time 14 violations were noted by the inspector, none of them major violations.

The re-inspection was in Dec. 2008, at which time all of the violations had been abated.

School fire from CNN via helicopter from YouTube user OnlineNewspaper

Video

Footage of school fire from YouTube user Oregonashman

Footage of school fire from YouTube user SchmoozeNews

Here is a quick clip of the evacuated students at Holgate Library from YouTube user KATU Communities

---

Portland | Oregon | Fire | Education | Most Commented on

Salem-News.com Top Stories

2025: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Two Wars with No Way Out

No One Owns the Future

The Ugly Origins of Trump's America First Policy

A One-State Solution Could Transform the World

Comments Leave a comment on this story.

Name:

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

[Return to Top]

---

©2025 Salem-News.com. All opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Salem-News.com.

Articles for November 9, 2009 | Articles for November 10, 2009 | Articles for November 11, 2009