Pets die, family escapes from burning Metzger home

Pamplin Media Group, Dec 12, 2009, Updated Dec 12, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

Courtesy of TVFR

A house fire Saturday morning on Southwest Spruce Street killed four pets. Six adults and an infant narrowly escaped the blaze that destroyed the house.

Four pets died Saturday morning and two people had to be rescued from a fire that destroyed a Metzger house.

Two dogs and two cats died in the blaze, despite efforts by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue firefighters to resuscitate them using special pet oxygen kits.

Firefighters were called at about 8 a.m. to 8708 S.W. Spruce St. Tigard, where they found heavy smoke and flames coming from most of the windows of the two-story house. Additional firefighting units were called in from Beaverton, Tualatin and King City to battle the blaze.

Six adults and an infant narrowly escaped the fire. Four of the adults and the child were able to get out of the house’s first floor. Two other people were trapped on the second floor and had to climb to safety with the help of a neighbor’s ladder.

Firefighters extinguished the fire within 20 minutes, but continued to work for more than an hour to put out hot spots that burned in walls and the attic. Nearly all of the contents and the structure of the home were ravaged by the fire.

The family is insured and is being helped by nearby relatives.

Fire investigators think the most probable cause of the fire was an ember from a wood-burning stove.

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