Clutter near fireplace started deadly fire

PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland Fire and Rescue responded to a house fire in Northeast Portland Thursday morning and found a man dead in the cluttered home.

The blaze broke out around 5 a.m. at a home in the 1300 block of Northeast 111th Avenue.

When firefighters arrived they found heavy flames coming from the back of the house and once they got inside, they found a home filled with clutter. They also could barely see and had a tough time getting around.

The dead man was 67-year-old Thomas Owen, according to the Multnomah County medical examiner.

Fire investigators said the fire was the result of household items that were too close to a fireplace.

They also found burned construction material and other debris, including a length of tree that was sticking out of the fireplace, according to a fire bureau spokesman.

It took nearly an hour for firefighters to get the fire under control. They had to move contents away from the walls and the excess of items in the home caused the fire to burn longer and hotter.

"It's like a kid climbing over a snowbank," said firefighter Chris Fukai. "You kind of flop over these big piles of debris and try to push your way back to the fire."

One firefighter suffered a minor burn while battling the fire.

Owen was found dead inside a bedroom. Neighbors said he lived alone.

"He (would) wave when I walked by and I (would) say hello," said neighbor Emily Moore.

Other neighbors said Owen was a well-educated man who frequently traveled and lectured at universities.

According to Portland Fire & Rescue, this was the second time this week their efforts were hampered by excessive contents inside a home.

"If you've got paths in your home it's time to get some mental or professional help," said Paul Corah, spokesman for Portland Fire & Rescue.

"They get such an emotional attachment to their things that they don't want to get rid of them," he added. "Newspapers, magazines, dishes - anything."

It's not clear at this point whether this was a case of hoarding or just a very messy house. Either way, firefighters say clutter makes their job difficult and dangerous.

Resources for Hoarding Syndrome

• Messies Anonymous
• Clutterers Anonymous
• International OCD Foundation
• Squalor Survivors
• Children Of Hoarders
• Clutter Less / Stress Less

KATU reporter Valerie Hurst contributed to this report.