Firefighters rescue deaf man from apartment fire

PORTLAND, Ore. – Firefighters rescued a deaf man from his apartment during a fire early Saturday morning.

The fire started at the Sellwood Inn Pub, located at 8301 Southeast 17th Avenue, at 3:20 a.m., firefighters said. The building includes the business on the first floor and apartments on the second floor, where most of the fire was burning.

According to Portland Fire and Rescue Spokesman Paul Corah, firefighters searched every apartment and found a deaf man in his 30s who was asleep and completely unaware of the fire.

“This morning's rescue illustrates why we aggressively search every room when we have a fire,” said Portland Fire Battalion Chief Dan Buckner. “In cases like this, we don’t know who has been alerted to a fire and evacuated or who may be left inside.”

No one was hurt in the fire.

Investigators said the fire started in a plastic bucket by smoking materials that were not completely put out. They estimated the damage at $25,000.