On Tuesday, May 16th, the historic May apartment building burned, leaving residents with nowhere to go. The five-story apartment building was located in the Southwest area of Downtown Portland, in the Goose Hollow neighborhood. All residents were evacuated safely, according to Rick Graves, a Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) official.

Information about the cause of the fire was limited for many days, so early articles and reports were unsure of the cause of the fire. However, the fire is believed to have been intentional, and a primary suspect was arrested on May 25th, on charges of first-degree arson, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief, according to the Multnomah County online inmate database. 

The suspect, a 30-year-old man, was a resident of the building. He had been served with an eviction notice a few days earlier and was going to be forced out by law enforcement. He had a history of criminal behavior and dangerous activity. Firefighters had responded to the May building 16 times in the past six months due to malicious misuse of the fire alarms in the building.  

The May apartment building was built in 1910, so its collapse due to fire and water damage was impending. It is unlikely that the building will be reconstructed. According to a PF&R official, the May was an unreinforced masonry building, meaning it was constructed with mortar to hold the bricks together. The PF&R Twitter account tweeted that on May 17th, the east side of the building collapsed. This potentially signals more collapse in the future. Residents will not be able to reenter the building for at least 30 days, due to red tape surrounding the building. There’s very little hope that residents will be able to return to living in the May.

The May building was 113 years old and approximately 123 feet tall, according to Portland Maps. It was owned by SkyNat Rental Properties, a property management company based in Portland. Their website listed The May as a “vintage building that offers several custom floor plans” and had “classic units [featuring] original built-ins.” They also mention “original elevator and interior stairwells.” The building was reported to be missing several essential safety features, according to City of Portland records. It also lacked a sprinkler system, for it was not required to by the building code. 

The cause of the fire is still being investigated by Portland Fire & Rescue. The suspect will likely stand trial in the next few weeks. You can track the status of sentencing here.