Crews gain upper hand on Southeast Portland structure fire as response delays local traffic

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Firefighters gained the upper hand after a battle with a blaze at a Southeast Portland building disrupted traffic Friday night.

Just after 5 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to a commercial fire near Southeast 122nd Avenue and Southeast Stark Street, authorities said.

The building was completely vacant, a now-closed restaurant, Portland Fire and Rescue said. Even still, it was designated a second alarm call due to it being a heavy fire on an extremely hot day.

The defensive response used a large amount of water from the outside of the building, officials said. This created traffic delays since lanes had to be closed in both directions as firefighters ran hose lines across the street.

Around 7 p.m., PF&R said in a post on X that the large response was "winding down." However, traffic delays are expected to continue for the next several hours "as crews will remain on scene until all hot spots are extinguished, likely through the night."

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is still being investigated, PF&R said in a release.

This is a developing story. KOIN 6 News will update this article if more information becomes available.