page_title: 2016 Portland gas explosion
section_title: Details
hierarchical_section_title: 2016 Portland gas explosion / Details
caption_attribution_description: English: On Thursday, October 20, 2016, a natural gas pipeline was breached, causing an explosion that damaged several buildings in northwest Portland, Oregon. These photographs were taken over a week after on October 29, 2016, however the damage was still very visible and cleanup was still underway. Some buildings on nearby blocks were still usable and not badly damaged, however windows were broken and boarded up.
context_page_description: A large gas explosion occurred in the Northwest District neighborhood of Portland, Oregon 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 property damages totaling $17.2 million. The Oregon Public Utilities Commission determined the cause to be inadequate notification by the contractor, Loy Clark Pipeline. In total, 13 buildings were damaged, including the total destruction of the Alfred C. F. Burkhardt House, built in 1906 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
context_section_description: The accident occurred while Loy Clark Pipeline was installing a junction box in a sidewalk for Comcast at NW 23rd Avenue and NW Glisan Street. When the excavator hit the pipe, it did not break the pipe, but pulled it out of a valve some distance away. This caused the gas to travel under the sidewalk and fill into the basement of 500 NW 23rd Avenue which ultimately exploded. The obliterated building was called the Alfred C. F. Burkhardt House and it was put was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The Oregon Public Utility Commission concluded "Insufficient Notice to the Oregon Utility Notification Center by Loy Clark Pipeline Co" as the root cause. Asbestos was found in the debris two days after the explosion. The building had an abatement work done in 1990, but it did not include the roofing, which contained 35% asbestos. 
  At 8:55 AM, an excavator called NW Natural, the local gas company, after he hit and dislodged a 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.
  The blast which occurred around 9:38AM follow reports of strong gas odor. Eight were injured in total. Three firefighters and two police officers were among the injured. 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. 2,500 customers lost electricity after the incident. About 420 students at Metropolitan Learning Center, many of whom were in the process of taking their PSAT tests, were evacuated and transported to the Portland Public Schools headquarters as a precaution.
  KATU reported that Loy Clark Pipeline had six OSHA violations in five years leading up to the accident.
  Loy Clark Pipeline was founded in 1957 and it is a part of Bismarck, North Dakota based MDU Construction Services Group, Inc
caption: Boarded up businesses after the explosion
exif: {"Image Make": "Apple", "Image Model": "iPhone 6s", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Photos 2.0", "Image DateTime": "2016:10:29 13:38:41", "Image ExifOffset": "174", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/150", "EXIF FNumber": "11/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "25", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2016:10:29 13:38:41", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2016:10:29 13:38:41", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "20743/2869", "EXIF ApertureValue": "7801/3429", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "3270/439", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "83/20", "EXIF SubjectArea": "[2015, 1511, 2217, 1330]", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "426", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "426", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4032", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3024", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "4", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "29", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[83/20, 83/20, 11/5, 11/5]", "EXIF LensMake": "Apple", "EXIF LensModel": "iPhone 6s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2"}