One dead after fire at empty Gresham commercial building

A fire at an empty commercial building in Gresham left one person dead early Sunday morning, according to Gresham Fire.

Crews responded around 3:52 a.m. to the 2000 block of Northwest Division Street and found flames breaking through the second-floor roof. Firefighters put the fire out, but much of the building burned.

Gresham Fire said the building was already familiar to crews because it had burned several times in recent years. Officials also said the structure had known hazards, including holes in the floors, ceilings, and roof. The site had been fenced off in an effort to keep people out.

The heat from the fire sent embers into nearby grassy areas, where several small spot fires started in a neighborhood close by. Crews extinguished those fires before they spread.

To get water to the scene, firefighters temporarily closed Northwest Division Street and connected to a hydrant across the roadway. The response used a defensive exterior attack with large-diameter hose streams and water from a ladder truck. In all, 39 firefighters from Gresham and Portland worked the scene, and several units remained for hours afterward with Gresham Police and the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Investigators have not identified the cause of the fire. Gresham Fire also said it is still unclear whether the person who died was inside the building or outside near it when the fire began.

For families dealing with a fire death, records from the fire department, police, and medical examiner can matter early on. A wrongful death claim may turn on what investigators find about the cause, the condition of the property, and where the person was located when the fire started.