‘City
of
Roses’
Volume XLVI • Number 30
Creating Positive
Images
More Pain
from Next Door
Portland gallery
shines light on
historic mural artist
Another minority
business impacted
by construction
See Local News, page 3
See story, page 2
Established in 1970
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • July 26, 2017
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Deadly Blast Levels House
Explosion kills two;
other homes damaged
M ichael l eighton
P ortland o bserver e ditor
Investigators were on the scene of a deadly
house explosion Tuesday trying to determine
what caused a Monday afternoon inferno that
killed two people at a home on North Kerby
Street across from Peninsula Park, causing ex-
tensive damage to surrounding homes and send-
ing glass shards and other debris across the street
into the park and surrounding area.
The suspected natural gas explosion and fire
caused a massive shock wave that could be felt
for at least 10 blocks, according to witnesses.
The blast completely flattened the house at 6214
N. Kerby around 2:30 p.m. Monday.
Authorities say Matthew McCrann, 42, died at
a Portland hospital from injuries suffered in the
blast. He was listed as owner of the house and
was found critically injured behind the home
when firefighters arrived. A second person killed
in the blast was discovered later and has not
been identified.
According to news reports, McCrann’s father,
Kevin McCrann, said his son lived at the home
for the last 10 years. He was also identified as
the father of Alissa McCrann, a woman who has
been missing since Dec. 19 when her car was
found abandoned and parked at Multnomah
Falls.
The cause of Monday’s explosion was not de-
termined as of Tuesday afternoon, but authorities
said a damaged natural gas line was one of the
factors that made fighting the fire difficult. After
the blast, Peninsula Park’s pool was temporarily
closed as a precaution and the recreation center
was safely evacuated.
Fire crews will continue to search through the
debris of the explosion. Portland Fire and Res-
cue investigators are being assisted by Portland
Police, Gresham Police, the U.S. Bureau of Al-
cohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and
Oregon State Police.
by
Water pours down from a Portland fire hose onto a house flattened by a suspected natural gas explosion Mon-
day afternoon on North Kerby Street across from Peninsula Park. The blast killed two people, damaged at least
two other homes, and could be felt by residents for up to 10 blocks away.