Lawsuit alleges nuisance, negligence after NE Portland old Kmart fire

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Following the fire that ripped through an old Kmart building in NE Portland, a lawsuit has been filed against the owners of the building alleging that their failure to maintain the property led to the fire which impacted residents of the Parkrose neighborhood.

Suing on behalf of himself and other Parkrose residents, the plaintiff claims that several reports were made to the building owners, named as RFC Joint Venture in the court documents, about trash littering the property and that the building was openly accessible and being used by homeless people.

The court documents also name Zygmunt Wilf as a general partner in RFC Joint Venture and Prologis 2, L.P. as a limited partnership that leased the property to RFC.

According to the court documents, the plaintiff is also claiming the fire that happened on July 19 impacted the daily lives of residents of the Parkrose neighborhood, preventing them from making use of their yards and causing a concern about the safety of allowing children to play in their yards.

A map released by the Department of Environmental Quality showed a wide area south of the Kmart where debris was found after the fire. Some debris was found over 2 miles away from the blaze.

The plaintiff is requesting a jury trial, the documents said, where they are seeking relief for both negligence and nuisance.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News, limited partner Prologis said, in part: "The fire last week was an unfortunate and unexpected event. It is our understanding that an arson investigation is still underway. We have been working with the public agencies to help respond, including helping clean community parks and schools."

Anyone with questions about the Kmart fire large debris neighborhood cleanup, email kmartfireneighborhoodcleanup@gmail.com or call 503-276-7389.