Local residents are now calling for changes after an SUV crashed into a Portland home on Christmas Eve, sparking a massive fire in a residential area that neighbors say has seen nearly 30 car accidents in the past few decades. There is.
Portland Fire Rescue responded to a large fire after an out-of-control SUV crashed into the front of a three-story apartment building, removing a natural gas meter. According to K.G.W..
“When the car hit the gas meter, the gas naturally flowed out of the underground line and into the car,” said Rick Graves, public information officer for the Portland Fire and Rescue Department.
Authorities said damage to natural gas pipes caused the massive fire, with most of the damage affecting cars and the exterior walls of apartments.
PFR says the placement of the truck actually diverted the gas line from the building and fortunately avoided potentially worst consequences.
No injuries were reported. The newspaper reported that an Oregon resident was able to escape safely from his home after the explosion, and emergency workers provided oxygen to a cat at the scene.
The property, once a single-family home and now a four-unit, three-story apartment building, has been incredibly unlucky when it comes to car accidents, and residents, fed up with the city, are looking to address this persistent problem. Not yet.
Mike Powers, a neighbor who has lived in his Sullivan's Gulch home for 30 years, told KGW that he and his wife have logged 29 car accidents on the property.
When asked about the Christmas Eve crash, he said it sounded like a bomb going off.
A sharp curve at an intersection on a residential road goes unnoticed by the driver and ends up driving into the property once a year.
Another neighbor told the publication that pleas from local residents to address the issue had gone unheeded.
“I think the most important thing here is for neighbors to come together and organize around the intersection,” Nels Pearson told KGW. “I know people have fought long and hard to change the design of our roads, but now is the time for us to do it.”
Information about the driver of the car is not available at this time.
