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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Adriana Cunningham has been cutting hair at her North Portland salon, Adriana, since 2004. On Friday, a large fire broke out at a neighboring store, forcing her and her dog to evacuate.
The fire in the attic space at Boom Boom Balloons, 2739 N Lombard Street, broke out around 12:20 p.m. Friday, not far from a Walgreens.
Within minutes, the fire started spreading to neighboring businesses.
“Never, never, never, never in 21 years, never happened in here in this building, never,” Cunningham told KOIN 6 News.
She said her dog, Santos, first alerted her to the blaze.
“I’m cleaning my stuff in the back, my dog come in the back and bark, bow wow wow wow wow. And I said, ‘What happened Santos?'” she said. “I see in the back the smoke.”
Cunningham and Santos got out, and then she called 911. Fire crews were able to douse the blaze within 30 minutes.
Her salon does not have any fire damage, but the power and water has been shut off and won’t be back on for at least another week, she said. That will cost her business and income.
“The people come in, the Spanish people is coming, but I say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I no work,” she said.
With a wistful smile, she added, “I have vacation.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.