PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — Firefighters were forced to let a two-alarm fire in a Clackamas industrial building burn Saturday until foam could be used to extinguish the flames.
Workers at Met-Tek Inc. called 911 on Saturday morning to report that a container filled with cooling oil was burning. When firefighters arrived at 15651 S.E. 125th Court, they found flames coming from a tank of oil, which is used to cool hot metal, near the front doors of the building and called in a second alarm.
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Efforts to extinguish the blaze were hampered because the burning material was reactive to water, so some firefighters used fire extinguishers to attack the fire while others went to the roof to create openings for gasses and smoke to leave the building.
The fire, which was contained to the oil tank, was then allowed to burn until crews from Portland Fire and Rescue could arrive with enough foam to smother the flames.
No employees or firefighters were injured, officials said. A hazardous materials team from Clackamas Fire is continuing to monitor air near the building for hazards and an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
Filed under: Clackamas County, Local News, News
