PORTLAND, Ore. - A man died, another was critically injured and a third suffered minor wounds during an apartment fire in north Portland Saturday night, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to 5811 North Lombard St. about 11:30 p.m. and found much fire and smoke coming from a second-story apartment. Crews evacuated nearby apartments while other firefighters tried to get the blaze under control, according to Lt. Rich Tyler, a Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman.

Two men who were able to escape from the apartment were taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, where one was listed in critical condition and the other suffered minor injuries, Tyler said. A third man did not make it out of the apartment and was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.

The deceased was identified Sunday night as Thomas Monell Gibson, who is in his 50s. Authorities did not immediately release the names of the two injured men.

Though firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to other apartments, one apartment was damaged by firefighting efforts, and the American Red Cross helped the occupants of that home with emergency shelter.

Investigators believe the fire, which caused about $80,000 damage to the apartment, was caused by an overloaded electrical outlet. They did not specify how it was overloaded. Also, none of the smoke detectors in the apartment were working, Tyler said.

Fire officials reminded people to make sure their power strips have surge protectors. They warned people never to plug a power strip into another power strip. Also, small appliances and cell phones won't overload a circuit but large appliances can.

"What you don't want to have is too many large items drawing a lot of power out of one single outlet," said Lt. Dave Centers of Portland Fire and Rescue.

Even tucking a wire behind something can cause it to overheat. And think about replacing old power strips since they can break down.