Big’s Chicken Burns in Three-Alarm Fire, Displacing 14 People From Apartments Above

A fire broke out early this morning at the building housing Big's Chicken and an apartment complex.

Big's Chicken (Thomas Teal)

A three-alarm fire at Big's Chicken and the apartment complex above the restaurant on Northeast Glisan Street has displaced 14 people.

The fire broke out in the restaurant and apartment complex on Northeast 57th Avenue and Glisan Street shortly before 7 am today, according to Portland Fire & Rescue.

The blaze injured three people, but the injuries are not life-threatening. Two of those people were rescued by firefighters on ladders, and another jumped out a window, the fire bureau says.

Apartments above Big’s Chicken (Portland Fire & Rescue)

Ben Dyer, co-owner of Big's Chicken, told The Oregonian that his restaurant will be closed for months. Dyer also said "everything above Big's is a total loss."

Big's, which grew out of a parking-lot pop-up at Dyer's Laurelhurst Market, is perhaps the most-discussed restaurant in Portland this summer. Its smoked chicken and jo-jo's have received mostly praise, with WW's reviewer a dissenting voice.

The Red Cross is assisting the 14 people displaced by the fire.

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