Man Sues Portland Business After Huge Fire Torches His Business

A Portland business owner has filed a lawsuit against another business after a fire ripped through both of their businesses earlier this month.

The morning of October 5, a massive fire consumed a commercial building along Southeast 13th and Hawthorne Boulevard, KGW says. Fire officials say four businesses were destroyed in the incident, including a vintage shop called Really Good Stuff.

"I had everything in that store and I don't have insurance," Evan Shlaes, owner of Really Good Stuff, told reporters at the time. "It's a total loss."

Now Shlaes is suing a neighboring store also destroyed in the fire, KGW reported on Tuesday (October 26). The lawsuit, filed Friday (October 23) in Multnomah County Circuit Court, alleges the devastating fire started in Lounge Lizard.

The lawsuit claims two Loung Lizard employees rushed over to Really Good Stuff and warned an employee about the fast-spreading fire. The document also alleges Lounge Lizard's vent system was was "dirty, coated with the residue of flammable materials, was serviced by substandard electrical appliances and wiring, and not properly inspected or maintained." As a result, the fire allegedly broke out due to negligence on the part of the shop owners, the lawsuit argues.

"Shlaes seeks $250,000 in damages from Lounge Lizard, which he claims is the estimated value of the loss he incurred from the destruction of Really Good Stuff," reporters claim.

KGW reached out to both Shlaes and the owners of Lounge Lizard for comment on the lawsuit. Shlaes declined, and Lounge Lizard hasn't responded yet.