Washington County, OR. – Official Release: At 2:20 p.m. today, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue firefighters were dispatched to a commercial fire in the 18000 block of Southwest Mapleoak Lane in Aloha. Multiple callers to 911 reported seeing black smoke coming from the first floor of a three-story apartment building.
Upon arrival, crews discovered heavy black smoke and flames coming from the first-floor unit and fire on the first, second, and third-floor balconies on the back of the building. The Incident Commander upgraded the fire to a second alarm to bring additional resources to the scene. Firefighters quickly worked to suppress the fire while also initiating a search of the apartment complex units for occupants.
During the search, crews found one person who was the occupant of the first-floor unit and succumbed to their injuries. The fire impacted six units, and five families are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross. No other individuals or pets were injured during the fire.
A pair of TVF&R fire investigators and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office are conducting a joint investigation.
TVF&R was assisted on scene by Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, American Medical Response, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Portland General Electric.
When deputies arrived, they learned that one woman, identified as 64-year-old Robin L. Wilkinson, died as a result of the fire. Her next-of-kin has been notified.
A detective from the Violent Crimes Unit responded to collaborate with fire investigators from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.
The investigation is in its early stages and at this time it is unknown whether any crimes are involved.
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