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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2021)
Lifting Up Lives in Africa Portland Native Wins Pulitizer Portland pop star Antonio Blue establishes music school Author who overcame hardships at top of his profession See Metro, page 7 See story, page 2 PO QR code Volume XLVV • Number 13 ‘City of Roses’ www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • July 7, 2021 Committed to Cultural Diversity ‘We Had no Choice but to Jump’ Predawn fire kills 2, others injured A horrifying fire erupted at a multi-unit apartment in the Sullivan Gulch neighbor- hood of northeast Portland during the predawn hours of July 4, killing at least two people and leaving several others injured. “We had no choice but to jump,” survivors said. Other neighbors described seeing people trapped by flames. The use of fireworks was suspected as the cause of the fire, but no conclusion had been drawn after two days of investigation. Officials said some neighbors reported hearing fireworks in the vi- cinity of the building. The apartments at 2226 N.E. Weidler St., named Hei- di Manor, were constructed in 1972, according to Mult- nomah County tax records. Its multiple structures were fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on A fire quickly sweeps through a multi-unit apartment complex at 2226 N.E. Wilder around 3:30 a.m. on July 4, killing at least two people and leaving several others injured. (KGW-TV photo) the scene at 3:30 a.m., offi- and many did not,” said Fire the flames and at the peak, a sprinkler system. She said there were about 120 fire it was an older complex and cials said. Chief Sara Boone. that older complexes often “The magnitude of this She said there were pow- personnel at the scene. Boone said the apart- do not have as many exits as fire moved so quick that peo- er lines coming down while ple had little time to escape crews worked to extinguish ment complex did not have newer complexes. Relief for Families Visits Albina Head Start to promote expanded child tax credits Expanded Child Tax Credits are go- ing out for the first time on July 15 to qualifying working families and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, during a Portland visit, expressed his support for the re- lief and proposed that it become a long term benefit. During Wyden’s stop at the Albina Head Start in north Portland last Tues- day, he met with Portland area parents and Head Start staff to talk about the first child tax credit payments going out under the American Rescue Plan and to show support for expanding the credits to future years. Adopted by Democrats earlier this year in response to the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus, the legislation provides the largest C ontinued on P age 4 P hoto by M ark W ashington /P ortland o bserver P ublisher U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden visits Albina Head Start in north Portland to support the expanded child tax credits going out to qualifying parents on July 15 under the American Rescue Plan and to call on making the credits a long-term solution for working families. Also pictured are Carole Carmichael and Keri Truehler of Albina Head Start.
