HILLSBORO, Ore. — A fire at a Hillsboro apartment Monday morning has left a mother and her children without a home after flames tore through the unit, firefighters said.
Calls to 911 started coming in to first responders just before 6:30 a.m. on Monday, reporting heavy fire and smoke coming from a two-story apartment unit at the Cedar Court Apartments near Southeast Cedar Street and 7th Avenue in Hillsboro.
The flames were seen coming from windows of the apartment's second floor. Firefighters arrived within minutes and additional crews were called in to help battle the flames.
"I couldn't see or breathe and my eyes were burning," recounted Omar Martinez, the oldest of the siblings impacted by the fire.
The mother, Veronica Martinez, her six children and two dogs were in the unit when the fire started. Two of the children's cousins were also visiting from out of town and staying with the family.
"My mom started yelling 'fire' and my first instinct was to get water but I couldn't see anything, so it was hard to see where the fire was," said Omar. "So I ran to the bathroom and got a bucket and I thought I got the fire out at first, but it was hard to breathe and see. So we decided to evacuate our apartment."
Smoke alarms went off, allowing everyone inside the unit to escape safely, fire officials said. People living in units within the same building also evacuated their homes until fire crews were able to put out the fire and declared it safe to go back inside. No one was injured.
"We're all (dealing with) different emotions right now, but we're going to get through this," said Omar. "It's just another life experience. I'm just glad I got my family out."
The fire was mostly contained to the two-story apartment. The flames tore through the second story where the Martinez family's bedrooms were located, causing them to lose all their personal belongings, they said.
"We lost everything, all of our documents, clothes, shoes, you name it," the Martinez family said in a GoFundMe campaign they started to help them get into a new home and replace their belongings. Click here to donate.
The Red Cross is also helping support them.
A baseboard heater ignited combustible materials, causing the fire, according to fire investigators.
Hillsboro Fire and Rescue shared these safety tips:
- Test your smoke alarm at least once a month and practice your home family escape plan.
- Keep all combustible materials at least three feet away from heat sources like baseboards and wall heaters.
- Many types of baseboard and wall heaters have freeze protection features that will automatically turn on the heater once the temperature drops below the lowest set point.