Portland fire: Videos show blaze at vacant warehouse on Naito Parkway, smoke visible across downtown

A large fire tore through the abandoned Centennial Mills warehouse in downtown Portland, sending heavy brown smoke across the city as crews fought it.

A large fire erupted at the Centennial Mills warehouse on Naito Parkway in downtown Portland, Oregon on Sunday afternoon. The blaze tore through the abandoned structure that has been standing at the heart of downtown Portland for ages, sparking a massive response by the Portland Fire Department.

Representational. (Unsplash)

The Portland Fire Department said in a post on social media that they are responding at the location on Naito parkway near Fremont Bridge.

The department said that there is a "heavy fire" on the first floor which is now extending into the second floor. "Thus is an unsafe building meaning no interior firefighting activity will occur," the department said. "Only exterior defensive actions."

The smoke was seen by residents across Portland as the Fire Department also confirmed that "significant brown smoke is pushing out under pressure on all sides."

Residents shared videos of the incident on social media.

In a follow-up update, the Portland Fire Department said that there is a threat that the fire might spread to the other structures on the compound of the Centennial Mills building. They added that they are making special arrangements to limit the spread of the fire.

Here's another set of videos of the incident recorded from up close. It was shared on social media by a resident.

Here's another video of the incident recorded by a resident while driving from a highway near the site of the fire.

Embers Sparking Wildfire Nearby

Alongside structural damage, the fire is also threatening small brush fires in the nearby areas, sparking an additional response from the Portland Fire Department. The department said in an update that Brush Units are working to address "smaller spot fires" caused by the embers.

"Firefighters working on safely minimizing the fire in the barge warehouse and addressing smaller spot fires in the area as a result of foisting embers," the department said. "Brush Units have been requested to assist in the vegetation fires. 4th alarm structural assignment requested."

The Centennial Mills Building is a City Landmark

The Centennial Mills complex in Portland was built in 1901 and transferred the hands of multiple owners before being abandoned in the 1990s. In 2000, the Portland Development Commission (now Prosper Portland) purchased the 4-acre site with plans to redevelop it into a mixed-use waterfront destination while preserving important historic structures.

But that could not be done due to a number of challenges and they building stayed abandoned and dilapidated for years. There were plans of demolition in the 2016-16, but they were not eventually carried out.

This story is being updated.