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
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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.