A large

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

explosion occurred in the Northwest District of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, USA, at NW 23rd Avenue and NW Glisan Street on October 19, 2016. Nearby excavation caused a natural gas leak that triggered the explosion, which injured eight people and caused $17.2 million in property damages. The PUC (Oregon Public Utility Commission) determined the cause to be inadequate notification by the contractor, Loy Clark Pipeline. Thirteen buildings were damaged, including total destruction of the Alfred C.F. Burkhardt House, built in 1906 and listed on the NRHP (National Register of Historic Places).

Timeline

The accident occurred while Loy Clark Pipeline was installing a

junction box An electrical junction box (also known as a "jbox") is an enclosure housing electrical connections. Junction boxes protect the electrical connections from the weather, as well as protecting people from accidental electric shocks. Construction ...

in a sidewalk for

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

at NW 23rd Avenue and NW Glisan Street. At 8:55 a.m., an excavator called the local gas company NW Natural after he hit and dislodged a

pipeline belonging to them. The pipe did not break, but was pulled out of a

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

some distance away, causing leaking gas to travel under the sidewalk and fill the basement of 500 NW 23rd Avenue. NW Natural responded to fix the leak but decided to call the

Portland Fire & Rescue Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau, also known as the Portland Fire Bureau, and sometimes informally the Portland Fire Department, is the principle fire suppression, prevention, and rescue agency of the City of Portland, Oregon, United States ...

because they found "dangerously high levels of natural gas". A limited number of firefighters (three engines and one truck) showed up and Battalion Chief Scott Beyers made the call to evacuate the businesses and residences near the intersection where the leak occurred. Northwest Portland explosion aftermath 07

Northwest Portland explosion aftermath 07

500 NW 23rd Avenue ultimately exploded. The blast occurred around 9:38 a.m. after reports of strong gas odor. Eight people were injured, including three firefighters and two police officers. After the explosion, hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics responded. Hospitals and emergency services went into "mass-casualty mode" and made worst-case preparations. The nearby

Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, commonly known informally as Good Samaritan Hospital or Good Sam, is a 539-bed teaching hospital located in northwest Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1875 by the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon, it is ...

went without power in four of its buildings. Some 2,500 customers lost electricity after the incident. About 420 students at Metropolitan Learning Center, many who were in the process of taking their PSAT tests, were evacuated and transported to the Portland Public Schools headquarters as a precaution. Northwest Portland explosion aftermath 06

Aftermath

In 2018, ten lawsuits were filed against Loy Clark Pipeline, the company responsible for the blast. Loy Clark Pipeline was founded in 1957 and in 2016 was a part of

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

-based MDU Construction Services Group, Inc. The

Oregon Public Utility Commission The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) is the chief electric, gas and telephone utility regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. It sets rates and establishes rules of operation for the state's investor-owned utility c ...

concluded "Insufficient Notice to the Oregon Utility Notification Center by Loy Clark Pipeline Co." as the root cause.

KATU KATU (channel 2) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside La Grande–licensed Univision affiliate KUNP (channel 16). Both stations share studios on NE ...

reported that Loy Clark Pipeline in five years leading up to the accident had six

OSHA OSHA or Osha may refer to: Work * Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency of the United States that regulates workplace safety and health * Occupational Safety and Health Act (United States) of 1970, a federal law in the Un ...

violations. Asbestos was found in the debris two days after the explosion. The building had

abatement Abatement refers generally to a lessening, diminution, reduction, or moderation; specifically, it may refer to: * 421-a tax abatement, property tax exemption in the U.S. state of New York * Abatement of debts and legacies, a common law doctrine ...

work done in 1990, but it did not include the roofing, which contained 35% asbestos. Among the eight injured was a dental hygienist who was hit by glass shards. They filed a lawsuit for $689,000 against Loy Clark Pipeline. The owners of the building at 520–526 NW 23rd Avenue also named

and Bremik Construction in addition to Loy Clark Pipeline in their lawsuit for "not properly vetting Loy Clark before hiring the contractor." For this incident, ''The Oregonian'' reported that OSHA fined

Tualatin, Oregon Tualatin () is a city located primarily in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located ...

-based Loy Clark Pipeline $4,900, and noted they dug on the north side of NW 23rd Avenue even though their notification was to dig on the south side. The

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

set up a shelter for people displaced by the explosion. In a press conference Portland Mayor Charlie Hales later stated that "It's a miracle no one was killed.". ''The Oregonian'' reported in December 2019 that two additional businesses, Portland Bagelworks and Dosha SalonSpa, had filed lawsuits. The destroyed Alfred C. F. Burkhardt House had been on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

since 2000.

References

External links

{{Commons category, 2016 Northwest Portland explosion
Video on USA TodayBurkhardt, Alfred C. F. House (Portland, Oregon)
2016 in Portland, Oregon Construction accidents in the United States Gas explosions in the United States