Retrospect: Portland teen died in fire

Tragedy struck on Portland’s southeast side 25 years ago this week.

The Feb. 20, 1996, edition of The Commercial Review included coverage of a fire that morning that took the life of 17-year-old Carrie Patch of Portland.

Patch’s home at 1303 Massachusetts Ave., Portland, caught fire about 10 a.m. that morning. Patch was trapped in an upstairs room. She was pronounced dead by Jay County coroner Mark Barnett just before 11 a.m.

Portland Fire Department assistant chief Gary Johnston reported that fire had already engulfed the house when he arrived on the scene.

“All I know is what we try to do is rescue first, but when it’s fully involved there’s nothing we can do,” Johnston said. “I pulled right up here and it was too hot — I could feel the heat.

“My feeling was there was no way we could get in the home. It’s tough,” he added, his voice trailing off, eyes moistening.

Randy Patch, Carrie’s stepfather, said he had stepped outside to clean out her car. When he went back for a vacuum he saw a wall of smoke and heard her cry for help.

“I couldn’t even walk inside,” he said. “The smoke pretty much hit me in the face. I stepped back and heard Carrie screaming.

“I hollered her name a couple times. I tried to tell her to get out of the window. I carried a ladder to get around a window and there was already smoke coming out of it and I couldn’t hear her anymore.”