NEWBERG, Ore. — A Newberg woman who escaped a second-story apartment fire last week by climbing down a neighbor’s ladder is urging residents to prepare for the worst after losing nearly all of her belongings in the blaze.
Jennifer Dosier, 52, was home with her adult son at 907 W. Charles St. on the morning of April 10 when fire broke out on the building’s second-story deck. Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue received the call at 11:31 a.m. and dispatched 22 units. By noon, the fire — localized to the second story — was contained. The Dundee Fire Department and the Newberg-Dundee Police Department assisted with the response. No injuries were reported.
Dosier said the apartment’s only exit, a front door, was fully engulfed by the time she reached the living room. She and her son retreated to a back bedroom, where they threw open a window. A neighbor, identified only as Ryan, retrieved a ladder from across the street. Two other neighbors held it steady as Dosier and her son descended.
TVF&R noted that both occupants received assistance from the Newberg-Dundee Police Department before firefighting units arrived.
“The entire door was engulfed with flames,” Dosier said. “There was no easy exit.”
TVF&R Public Affairs Officer Jacob Fuhrer said the agency was unable to determine the exact cause of the fire due to extensive damage, but the investigator believes the incident was accidental in nature. Dosier said she has spoken with a fire investigator twice and believes an electrical source on the deck — near patio furniture and extension cords she had recently moved following a windstorm — may have started the blaze.
Dosier said the unit is a total loss. Family members who have since entered the apartment described the ceilings torn to the rafters, walls stripped to studs, and standing water throughout. She is currently staying at her daughter’s home while she looks for another housing unit.
The property’s manager, Chehalem Property Management, attempts to help displaced tenants in emergency situations find new housing within their portfolio, said CPM Property Manager Assistant Denise Wilford. Otherwise, organizations like the Red Cross step in to provide financial assistance to help find shelter right away. Most, like Dosier, are able to find immediate shelter with area family or friends.
“These guys had no time,” Wilford said. “[The fire] went so quickly.”
Among the losses she said are hardest to accept: a family Bible, decades of family photographs, and baby keepsakes from her three adult children. Her original birth certificate also did not survive.
“The things that really hurt are the things I can’t replace even with money,” she said.
Dosier said the fire moved fast enough that she escaped with no shoes, no phone, and nothing in her hands. Looking back, she said residents should keep a fire-retardant box in an easy-to-access place stocked with essential documents — Social Security cards, birth certificates, bank records, and lease agreements.
“Mine’s all burnt up,” she said. “It engulfed my apartment so fast there’s no way I could have searched through things.”
Dosier’s son, Ethan Lewis, started a GoFundMe campaign to support Dosier [CLICK HERE].
