Forest Grove resident dies in duplex fire

A 67-year-old man died in a duplex fire on 12th Avenue in Forest Grove early Saturday morning. Forest Grove firefighters were dispatched to the 2300 block of 12th Avenue at 12:20 a.m. Saturday and arrived five minutes later to find flames coming from the front window of a single-story duplex, according to Forest Grove Fire & Rescue. Crews attacked the fire from outside through the window, then entered the building. Less than a minute after entering, firefighters found an unconscious resident and removed him from the structure. Additional crews began life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Next of kin have been notified. The man's name has not been released. The fire was contained to the front room of the unit and did not spread to the other side of the duplex, FGF&R said. The cause of the fire is under investigation by fire marshals from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and Forest Grove police detectives, which is standard practice in any fire fatality. Photo courtesy Forest Grove Fire & Rescue The residence did not have working smoke alarms, according to the fire department. "It is important to have your home equipped with smoke alarms in each bedroom and outside each sleeping area. Also remember to test your smoke alarms every month to verify that they are still working," FGF&R said. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue was assisted by Cornelius Fire Department, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Banks Fire District, AMR, Forest Grove Police Department and the Washington County Medical Examiner.