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Portland police say they are investigating a possible arson outside of City Councilor Candace Avalos’ East Portland home.
The fire, police said in a press release, burned Avalos’ car as well as the carport where she had parked it.
The Portland Police Bureau said firefighters arrived on the scene at 2:40 am Sunday. “Upon arrival,” police said in a statement, “they found several vehicles and a carport on fire. The vehicles were parked and unoccupied. Firefighters extinguished the fire, and no one was injured.
“East Precinct officers responded to the scene and assisted with the initial investigation. They determined that the vehicle of origin belongs to City Councilor Candace Avalos.”
The incident is being investigated as “suspicious in nature,” police said Sunday.
Avalos did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but she wrote on Bluesky that she woke up early Sunday morning to her “car, car port, and home engulfed in flames.” She wrote that she and her cat Valentino made it out safely, and that was “grateful for the quick response from Portland firefighters who prevented the fire from spreading even further.”
The first-term councilor representing District 1 is one of the architects of the city’s new, expanded form of government, and is part of the council’s progressive bloc, commonly known as Peacock.
Avalos, who is Black and Latina, has been a frequent recipient of online vitriol, both during her campaign and during her time in office.
The incident echoes a suspected arson near the home of then-City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez nearly two years ago. Gonzalez reported someone had set his father’s Honda Accord on fire on Jan. 12, 2024. Police deemed that car fire suspicious as well, and an anonymous person took credit for the arson online. Shortly before leaving office, Gonzalez filed a legal notice threatening to sue the city for not sufficiently responding to threats against him prior to the blaze.
