FOOD

Northwest Portland Elephants Deli Shuttered by Fire

The blaze appears to have started outside and then spread into the restaurant.

Crews work to extinguish a fire at Elephants Delicatessen at 115 NW 22nd Ave., on March 10, 2026. (Portland Fire & Rescue)

A fire ripped through the Northwest 22nd Avenue location of Elephants Delicatessen early this morning, closing the restaurant for the foreseeable future. There were no injuries.

At 1 am on March 10, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a fire at 115 NW 22nd Ave. It looks like the fire started outside the business and then spread to the interior and the roof, according to the fire bureau.

The crew was able to quickly extinguish the exterior fire but had to change tactics multiple times in order to put out the rest of the blaze. Eleven fire trucks responded to the emergency, according to the restaurant.

“First and foremost, we are grateful for the safety of our employees and customers. We are also deeply appreciative for the response of Portland Fire and Rescue,” says a Tuesday-morning post on the Elephants Delicatessen Instagram page.

The other six Elephants locations remain open and fully functional, and this does not disrupt catering operations either. However, the Northwest location is closed indefinitely as the business assesses the damage. The Portland Fire Investigations Unit has started its forensic evaluation of the scene to determine the cause.

“This is a challenging day for the Elephants Herd, but we remain resolute,” the Elephants post says. “Our restaurants are grounded in community, and we are confident in our ability to band together and emerge from this adversity.”

Rachel Saslow

Rachel Saslow is an arts and culture reporter. Before joining WW, she wrote the Arts Beat column for The Washington Post. She is always down for karaoke night.

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