newsBanner

Homeless warming fire ignites Portland Red Robin, firefighters say - OregonLive.com

By Sami Edge | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Jan 18 2026 19:55

A warming fire from a homeless encampment ignited the wall of a Lloyd District Red Robin Sunday morning, Portland Fire & Rescue said, sparking a blaze that reached the inside of the building. Portland firefighters opened the wall of the Northeast Grand Avenue restaurant and quenched the fire before it could spread further, the agency said in a statement. Spokespeople cast the response as a near miss and said if a cleaning crew hadn’t called to report the fire early, it likely would have impacted the entire building. Nobody was hurt in the fire, Portland Fire & Rescue said. The agency often sees injuries caused by unsafe heat sources, it said. It reminded people to keep outside flames contained in a metal bin far from any structures and to avoid using stoves as a heating method. Sami Edge is the deputy breaking news editor at The Oregonian. She previously covered the Oregon Legislature and higher education, winning awards for her coverage of mental health and the decline in college... more