PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Multiple people were killed and others seriously injured when a house fire broke out overnight in a small town in rural Oregon, authorities said Wednesday.
There were fewer than 10 people in the home when the fire broke out around 2 a.m. in Riddle, a struggling timber town about 200 miles south of Portland, Deputy Dwes Hutson said.
He declined to say if any children were among the dead or injured, but South Umpqua School District Superintendent Tim Porter said in a phone interview with AP that students in his district were involved in the fire.
Porter said he couldn’t provide any more information because he was awaiting more details from authorities.
The district is providing grief counseling, Porter said.
Those who were injured were transported to Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center in Portland.
“The injured are very seriously injured,” Hutson said.
Hutson couldn’t provide more information about the numbers of people killed in the blaze or their identities until relatives had been notified of the deaths.
Riddle is in Douglas County, one of the Oregon counties hardest hit by the collapse of the timber industry. The school district affected by the fire has just 1,450 students, Porter said.
Authorities remained on scene to begin an investigation. The cause does not appear to be suspicious, Dwes said.
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