Fire crews discovered a man who appeared to have died of natural causes inside a Loyd District duplex severely damaged by fire Thursday night.
Portland police spokesperson Derek Carmon said the man was found in “pretty bad shape,” but appeared to have died a “natural death.”
The Oregon State Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
Portland police and fire officials have not yet identified the man.
Firefighters arrived on the scene in the 600 block of Northeast Halsey Street at 11:18 p.m. to find both floors of the 2-story building in flames. The fire had destroyed the back stairs, causing the firefighters to use ladders to reach the second floor, Portland Fire & Rescue said. The firefighters fought the fire while searching for a resident who was believed to be inside the building.
Fire officials first reported that the missing resident escaped the building unharmed, but later they said the person they found was a neighbor who did not live in the duplex and was not inside the building at the time of the fire.
The blaze was extinguished shortly after midnight. Soon thereafter, fire crews found the body inside of an “excessively cluttered apartment,” said Lt. Rich Tyler, a Portland Fire & Rescue spokesperson.
Portland Fire & Rescue are investigating the fire and have not yet determined a cause, Tyler said.
-- Catalina Gaitán
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