Resident Dies in Fire at North Portland Safe Rest Village Pod

Portland, OR. — Authorities have identified the victim of a fatal fire that destroyed a living pod at the North Portland Road Safe Rest Village earlier this week.

Gary Scott Young, 33, was confirmed as the individual who died in the fire Monday evening. Officials released his identity after family notification was completed. Young was born May 11, 1992.

Portland Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched to the site at 5:51 p.m. after reports of a pod fire. Responding firefighters observed a visible smoke column and quickly declared the incident a working fire.

Within minutes, callers reported that the pod was “almost completely burned to the ground.” Engine 26 arrived on scene at 5:56 p.m. and confirmed the structure was nearly fully consumed by flames.

Firefighters deployed a hose line and extinguished the remaining fire using water from the engine’s onboard tank. Additional engines staged at nearby hydrants in case the fire spread to neighboring pods, but the blaze was contained to a single structure.

Officials later confirmed Young was inside the pod during the fire and did not survive.

Staff members at the Safe Rest Village attempted to control the fire before firefighters arrived, using several handheld fire extinguishers. Authorities said the flames had already grown too large to be contained by the time emergency crews arrived.

Investigators with the Portland Fire & Rescue and Portland Police Bureau Fire Investigations Unit remain at work determining the cause of the fire. The investigation includes examining the burned pod, interviewing other residents at the site, and reviewing any available video footage.

Officials said additional information may be released as the investigation continues.