Woman Injured in Aloha Fire Succumbs to Injuries

(ALOHA, Ore.) - Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue is saddened to report that a woman rescued from a burning home in Aloha Saturday morning has passed away.

Brenda Ann Mocaer was 47 years old and lived in the home. "Our hearts and thoughts go out to Ms. Mocaer's family," says TVF&R Public Information Officer Brian Barker, "our firefighters got to the home within minutes, quickly searched for and located her and rushed her to an ambulance. Unfortunately, she had been exposed to a lot of smoke in a short period of time."

Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames on the second floorA neighbor called 911 at 9:44 Saturday morning reporting smoke and flames coming from a two story home located at 1756 SW Harvey Way in Aloha.

Firefighters aboard TVF&R's Squirt 62 arrived in less than five minutes. Firefighters immediately encountered an off-duty Portland firefighter who notified them that a resident had reported that someone was still inside the house on the second floor. The TVF&R firefighters from Aloha pulled a hose-line from Squirt 62 and entered the home to perform a rescue.

They quickly located Ms. Mocaer on the second floor of the home, removed her from danger, and placed her in a waiting ambulance. She was suffering from smoke inhalation and was transported by Metro West ambulance to Legacy Emmanuel Hospital.

Because of the fact firefighters were performing a rescue, firefighters called for a second alarm which brings additional engines and trucks to the scene. As more firefighters from TVF&R and Hillsboro Fire and Rescue arrived at the home, firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and stopped further damage to the structure less than 20 minutes after the initial 911 call.

"This is a reminder about how dangerous smoke can be," says TVF&R Brian Barker, " dark and deadly smoke can fill your home in minutes and one ‘breath' can confuse you to the point that you never make it out alive. This is why firefighters wear air packs when entering a burning building and use thermal imagers to ‘see' in smoke-filled buildings."

A team of TVF&R invesigators is working to determine the cause of the fire. The other residents of the home will be staying with family members nearby until the home can be repaired.

News Release from: Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue