A man is dead after running back into a burning home to rescue his family's dog during a two-alarm house fire in West Linn on Thursday, July 30, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue confirmed on Friday, July 31.

TVF&R crews responded to the 3300 block of Quail Ridge Court around 3 p.m. Thursday and found heavy fire engulfing the rear of a large residence, with dense smoke pushing from the roof and flames extending into the attic.

The agency said witnesses reported that the man re-entered the home after other residents had safely escaped. The department immediately upgraded the incident to a second alarm due to the missing occupant and the size of the structure.

Crews launched an aggressive interior attack while searching for the man, but deteriorating conditions forced a critical decision. TVF&R said the search had to be suspended when the structure became increasingly unstable and collapse appeared imminent.

Firefighters shifted to a defensive strategy, attacking the blaze from the exterior to protect personnel. It took nearly three hours to bring the fire under control Thursday evening.

The search resumed Friday, hampered by extensive fire damage and collapse hazards throughout the structure. TVF&R confirmed that afternoon that the man's body had been recovered. His identity has not been released. The family dog is presumed dead and had not been located as of Friday's update.

Neighbor Jack Steinhauer told KPTV he watched the fire spread with terrifying speed. "Everyone did what they could do but I'm telling you I've never seen something that fast, it really went up quick, I'm talking minutes," Steinhauer said.

He described flames reaching 30 feet in the air and said the home went from smoke in the windows to fully engulfed in roughly five minutes.

TVF&R was assisted at the scene by Lake Oswego Fire Department, Clackamas Fire District, West Linn Police Department, and American Medical Rescue, according to Your Oregon News.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. TVF&R has not announced a timeline for releasing additional details or the victim's identity. The department's public information office can be reached at (503) 649-8577.