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Warming fires taxing Portland fire crews

Firefighters at the scene of a warming fire Friday morning said such fires have been taxing their resources this year.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Firefighters at the scene of a warming fire Friday morning said such fires have been taxing their resources this year.

They respond to the homeless camp fires several times a day.

“When we get there, we try to clear the resources as fast as we can,” said Portland Fire & Rescue Lt. Tommy Schroeder. “But in the immediate time, certainly there are other calls that could be holding, that those units could be responding to. Not in all cases, but sometimes.”

He said it highlights the balance between keeping buildings safe and keeping people safe as they struggle in the cold. That balance also requires education.

“We’ll have discussions with these homeless individuals that are starting these fires to make sure that they are doing it safely, that they are burning the proper materials. If they can have a bucket of water around, just in case, we recommend that as well.”

The fire was reported at 3:40 a.m. next to a commercial building at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Davis Street.

A Portland fire truck en route to the call collided with a car at Northeast Weidler Street and Grand Avenue. Meanwhile other crews reached the fire and put out the flames.

The four firefighters in the truck were unharmed. The condition of the car driver was unavailable.

The front end of the car was heavily damaged. There was little visible damage to the fire truck.

No injuries due to the fire were reported.

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