Latest news with #PortlandFireAndRescue
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Shocked': North Portland Wellness Center scorched by 3-alarm fire
PORTLAND, Ore. () — A three-alarm fire broke out at the North Portland Wellness Center Sunday. 'I want to start crying but I mean, been a labor of love for a long time,' said Lili Scott, co-owner of North Portland Wellness Center. PPS to release 3 hours early Monday due to high heat The owner got the call to rush to her business. It caught fire after a blaze spread from a vacant house next door. 'I was just shocked,' Scott said. 'So in these conditions, battling fires is another matter entirely,' said Damon Simmons, a spokesperson for Portland Fire and Rescue. More than 100 firefighters were working in this brutal heat for hours as Portland saw its first day above 90 degrees of the year. This was one of several fires Sunday afternoon, taking a toll on the crews. 'Imagine coming out of your oven into another oven. That's basically what it's like,' Simmons said. Facing heat from the fire and the air temperature, their heavy gear only adds to their rising body heat. To make sure they are cooling down, extra crews are called, ensuring breaks every 15-20 minutes. 'They're sweating all the liquid out of their body. And so they need, they need that extra rehab and that extra help,' said Simmons. Business owners and homeowners said they feel for the firefighters battling more than just the flames. Body pulled onto swimming dock at Cathedral Park 'Oh my God, I mean, look at what they're doing there. All of them are out here in this gear, and I don't even know what that adds to the temperature. It's 90 degrees and they are working so hard, nonstop. They're amazing, and I'm really grateful,' said Scott. The cause of the fire that damaged the North Portland Wellness Center is under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Portland Fire unveils new water lance that can ‘pierce through' metal to combat EV fires
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Portland Fire and Rescue is unveiling its new 'water lance' tool in an effort to minimize the toxicity released in the water and the air from lithium-ion battery fires from electric vehicles. The new Cold Cut Cobra Water Lance is so powerful, it can be used to penetrate metal and can minimize the amount of water needed to combat EV fires, officials said. Portland archbishop 'stunned' at new pope selection The proliferation of sometimes explosive EV battery fires is a fairly new phenomenon, with fire departments across the nation struggling to respond to them. As a result, a variety of approaches have been taken among the different fire departments around the country, PF&R officials said. The issue stems from the fact that lithium-ion battery fires can dispense toxins in the water runoff or in the air via aerosolized particulates, leading to respiratory health dangers for those nearby. Traditional firefighting methods would either require using a lot of water to put the battery fire out, creating toxic runoff, or waiting until the fire consumes the battery and use less water, but allowing a plume of toxic smoke to occur instead. Both methods risk environmental and health dangers. However, the new Cold Cut Cobra Water Lance tool can be used to penetrate into the battery compartment to dispense the water. The tool uses less water than traditional methods, and the water that is used is contained, minimizing toxic water runoff. 'The Cold Cut Cobra has a self-contained water tank with a motor used to power a high-pressure water pump, with the additional ability to mix in a nontoxic, environmentally safe iron ore aggregate used to penetrate into solid materials such as metal and concrete, using a hole of just 1/8' in diameter,' PF&R said in a press release. 'The tool is designed to pierce through the metal protective battery compartment cover using the aggregate-water mix. Once the hole is made, the iron ore is removed from the stream and the water stream floods the compartment, quickly extinguishing the fire.' Portland team hits Disney with trademark lawsuit The water lance method also minimizes the risk of the battery fire rekindling, a common problem with this type of emergency, officials said. The Cold Cut Cobra Water Lance will be housed in the North Portland Heavy Squad 24 in the Overlook Neighborhood, providing quick access via I-5 to problematic areas of Portland streets where EV battery fires are likely to occur, PF&R said. The funding for the tool was made possible by the City of Portland's Bureau of Fleet and Facilities and the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund. Back in September, lithium-ion batteries that experienced 'thermal runaway' were the root cause of a in Portland. Portland Fire said they had responded to a number of other fires caused by the lithium battery in e-scooters in the months leading up to the blaze. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
