Northwest District Explosion

Northwest District Explosion
A picture taken about 45 minutes after the explosion. The smoke plume could be seen from miles around.
Location	Northwest District, Portland, Oregon, United States
Date	19 October 2016 9:38 (PST)
Deaths	0
Non-fatal injuries	8

The Northwest District Explosion (also known as the Portland Explosion or the 23rd Avenue Explosion) was a large explosion that occurred in the Northwest District of Portland, Oregon on October 19, 2016. A natural gas leak caused by nearby construction triggered the explosion that leveled one building, and affected 13 in total.

Details

At 8:55 AM, an excavator called NW Natural, the local gas company, after he hit a dislodged natural gas line. NW natural responded to fix the leak but decided to call the Portland Fire & Rescue because they found "dangerously high levels of natural gas". A limited amount of firefighters (3 engines and 1 truck) showed up and Battalion Chief Scott Beyers made the call to evacuate the businesses and residences near the intersection where the leak occurred.

Aftermath of the explosion.

At 9:38, after evacuating people from nearby, an explosion, later described as sounding like a large bomb, went off and injured 8 people, (3 firefighters, 2 Police Officers, and 3 civilians). The building that the gas leak occurred in was destroyed and contained Portland Bagel Works, Fetch Eyewear, and Artwork Rebels Tattoo Parlor. Other businesses also affected by the explosion include Pizzicato, Dosha Salon, FedEx Office, and Umpqua Bank. After this, hundreds of firefighters, police officers, and paramedics responded. People nearby reported nonstop sirens for at least 10 minutes and cop cars, fire trucks, and ambulances every 5 seconds. Hospitals and Emergency Services went into "mass-casualty mode" and prepared for the worst. The nearby Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center went without power in 4 buildings.^[1]

Pizzicato after the explosion.

Later, students at the Metropolitan Learning Center were evacuated to District Headquarters where their parents were instructed to pick them up.10th graders were in the middle of their PSAT/NMSQT tests and were allowed to finish but were rushed to TriMet buses for evacuation. Many students were not informed of what was happening until during the evacuation. Students reported hearing a loud sound and the building shook, the lights flickered and didn't know what had happened. Teachers told students they couldn't go past NW 21st Avenue for lunch, after which they were told to not go off-campus at all, and finally they made the call for evacuation which was later called "unnecessary".

Aftermath

The explosion was reported on National News.

The American Red Cross set up a shelter for people displaced by the explosion.

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales said in a press conference that "it was a miracle no one was killed".

See also

• Northwest District, Portland, Oregon
• Metropolitan Learning Center (Portland, Oregon)

References