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A GoFundMe account set up by close friends of City Councilor Candace Avalos in the wake of a fire that engulfed her car and damaged her East Portland home early Sunday morning has raised more than $13,000 as of Monday afternoon.
Donations flooded into the account, set up by three of Avalos’ friends, starting Sunday afternoon.
The blaze, which police initially described as “suspicious in nature,” erupted in the wee hours of Sunday morning outside of Avalos’ Mill Park home, destroying two cars, a carport, and the side of Avalos’ house. She wrote on social media in the hours following that she and her cat, Valentino, had escaped uninjured.
On Monday afternoon, the police bureau said that based on preliminary information, there is “no evidence of an accelerant or incendiary device” being used and “no evidence to suggest the fire was specifically targeting Councilor Avalos.”
“At this time, investigators cannot definitively determine the exact cause of the fire,” the police said in a statement. “However, preliminary findings indicate that the fire did not originate in Councilor Avalos’ vehicle or other property belonging to her. The fire began in a storage shed adjacent to the residence.”
Support for Avalos flooded in from local elected officials and community leaders on Sunday and Monday, many of whom said that the possibility of the incident being politically motivated was reprehensible.
Rev. Chuck Currie wrote on social media: “If proven to be politically motivated, this was nothing short of terrorism. Imagine waking up to your house ablaze. Those responsible must be found.”
Mayor Keith Wilson and city councilors wrote in a joint statement that they “stand united in support of our colleague....We are working closely with Councilor Avalos to provide her with the resources and security she needs.”
Portland’s police and fire bureaus are still investigating what started the blaze.
The incident marks at least the fifth time in the past five years that a Portland elected official’s home was damaged, some of them in politically motivated attacks.
Avalos was an architect of the city’s new form of government, and was elected in 2024 to represent District 1, the easternmost part of the city. A Black and Latina woman with progressive political positions, she has long been the target of online vitriol, which has grown as Portland, a sanctuary city, is scrutinized by conservative media.
Avalos’ friends said the GoFundMe donations will be used to help finance her insurance deductibles, a rental car, housing support, “replacement of personal belongings lost in the fire,” and meals and necessities while Avalos “rebuilds and recovers.”
“Anyone who knows Candace knows how tirelessly she works to uplift others,” the coordinators of the GoFundMe wrote. “She shows up for her community every day, and now it’s our turn to show up for her.”
This post has been updated to reflect the latest information from the Portland Police Bureau.
