Courts

Portland Woman Sentenced for Elephants Deli Fire

Investigators said Catherine Stough, 57, had told them she accidentally started the March 10 early morning fire as she was looking for food scraps in a trash bin.

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

The Portland woman accused of starting the fire that shuttered the Northwest 22nd Avenue location of Elephants Delicatessen was sentenced Wednesday to jail—with the possibility of early release for treatment—after pleading guilty to two misdemeanors.

Investigators said Catherine Stough, who is homeless, had told them she accidentally started the March 10 early morning fire as she was looking for food.

“I feel really bad because it was such a nice place but I was hungry so I was looking in the bin in the bussing area,” the probable cause affidavit quoted Stough as saying shortly after the incident. “I was using my torch lighter because I couldn’t see and it accidentally caught some tissue paper on fire.” (The increased use of butane torches on the Portland streets has alarmed observers, as WW reported this year.)

Investigators say the blaze spread into the restaurant, doing an estimated $2.5 million in damage. The establishment has been closed ever since. The other six Elephants locations remain open and fully functional.

Stough, 57, has been in jail as her court case proceeded.

She ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of reckless burning and one count of criminal mischief. At the Wednesday hearing, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Rima Ghandour sentenced Stough to 180 days in jail with credit for time served—with the possibility of early release if she and her attorney can get her into an inpatient treatment center.

The judge also imposed four years’ probation with the county Mental Health Unit and commanded Stough to stay away from Elephants locations. The judge waived court fines and fees, records show, but ordered Stough to pay Elephants Delicatessen $100,000 in restitution.

In a statement, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said the fire would have been avoided if Stough had stayed in a shelter bed the night in question. While his office has compassion for Stough’s circumstances, Vasquez said, that does not excuse what happened.

“This was a huge loss to our community,” he said. “This has been devastating for the employees, for the owners, and for the everyday Portlander that loves Elephants.”

Andrew Schwartz

Andrew Schwartz

Andrew Schwartz writes about health care. He's spent years reporting on political and spiritual movements, most recently covering religion and immigration for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and before this as a freelancer covering labor and public policy for various magazines. He began his career at the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

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