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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2016)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Friday, October 21, 2016 Fireighter thrown up to 20 feet in gas explosion PORTLAND (AP) — An injured ireighter who’s being hailed as a hero for helping to evacuate a building before a powerful gas explosion in a Portland shopping district said Thursday he was tossed up to 20 feet by the blast. The explosion hurt eight people Wednesday morning, demolished a three-story historic building and ignited a ire that sent a plume of smoke over the city. Three ireighters, two police oficers and three civilians were injured. None of the injuries were life-threat- ening. Portland Fire & Rescue Lt. Peter St. John blacked out after the explosion and awoke in pain as chaos unfolded around him, he said in an interview Thursday from his hospital bed. The blast broke his left femur and the tibia and ibula of his right leg, he said. “I got thrown across the street, and I was tied up in a chain-link fence on the ground,” he said. “I tried to wiggle my toes because I couldn’t move my legs ... Then I looked at my right leg, I knew it was broken at that point.” Fire Chief Mike Myers said Wednesday that St. John ran inside the building to pull ire alarms and called the young lieutenant a hero, but St. John said he doesn’t agree. He did evacuate the building and order the ire trucks to move back, he said, but he looked for ire alarms and couldn’t ind any. Other members of his team helped with evacuations and pulled alarms, he said. “I feel like I’m not a hero. I just did what everyone else would have done,” he said. “It’s our job. We’re to go in and protect the citizens, and that’s what I did.” St. John, a father of three, underwent lengthy surgery Wednesday to insert a rod in his leg bone, but he appeared in good spirits Thursday. He spoke softly from a reclining position in his hospital bed. He had small cuts on his forehead, cheeks, hands and ears from debris from the blast. When irst-responders irst pulled up, the gas was so thick the ireighters could see waves in the air, St. John said. He and other ireighters decided to don protective masks, he said. “That’s about right when the explo- sion happened, when we got our masks,” he said. “Next thing I knew, I saw the explosion from the basement to the third loor.” The building blew up in three blasts — one for each level— with a slight pause between each boom, he said. “I think there was ire because I saw orange. I must have blacked out a little “I feel like I’m not a hero. I just did what everyone else would have done. It’s our job. We’re to go in and protect the citizens, and that’s what I did.” — Lt. Peter St. John, of Portland Fire & Rescue ... because I felt the heat wave push me back and the next thing I knew I was on the ground, just in pain,” he said. As St. John waited to be evacuated from the scene, he noticed live power lines nearby and heard at least one more explosion, he said. On Thursday, Myers reiterated that the heroism of St. John and others prevented a far worse outcome. “I fully expected to get here and have ireighter fatalities,” he said, adding that from the call he received he expected to ind “numbers of ireighters down.” The blast reduced to rubble a 110-year-old building that housed a bagel shop and other businesses in the popular NW 23rd Street shopping district. The walls and windows of a nearby building were blown out, and businesses three blocks away reported that their doors lew open from the force of the blast. The intersections near the blast site were still closed Thursday. NW Natural released a timeline saying the explosion occurred at 9:38 a.m., when many businesses were still closed. Portland’s NW 23rd Street — nick- named “Trendy Third” — is packed with boutiques, bars and restaurants. Many are on street level with pricey apartments on the upper levels and a day care facility in the vicinity. Construction workers nicked a three- quarter-inch natural gas line outside the building and gas collected inside. But the ignition source has yet to be determined. The utility said it got a call at 8:55 a.m. about the gas line being hit. Author- ities and utility workers responded in 15 minutes and evacuated the building, NW Natural CEO David Anderson said at a news conference. People reported smelling gas as they were evacuated and later felt the explo- sion. An employee at a nearby kitchen accessories store said he was in the washroom when he felt a huge explosion and emerged to ind thick smoke and haze. Scott Bergler said 15 windows in the irst-loor store were blown out. As he evacuated the Kitchen Kaboodle shop, Bergler saw a ireighter on the ground who had been knocked lat by the blast. “He was obviously in shock and crawling and having a hard time standing up,” Bergler said. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge www.eastoregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group Intervals of clouds and sunshine 59° 43° 61° 43° MONDAY A thick cloud cover Considerable clouds PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 60° 46° 67° 45° 62° 42° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 63° 44° 64° 42° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 69° 62° 84° (2003) 54° 39° 16° (1911) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.01" 1.23" 0.65" 9.30" 5.89" 9.63" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 65° 63° 82° (1940) 50° 38° 17° (1949) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Trace 0.90" 0.38" 6.34" 3.71" 6.97" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New Oct 22 Oct 30 7:20 a.m. 5:59 p.m. 11:09 p.m. 1:21 p.m. First Full Nov 7 69° 42° 65° 41° Seattle 59/47 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 61° 44° Nov 14 Today TUESDAY Clouds and sun with a shower Spokane Wenatchee 54/42 58/42 Tacoma Moses 60/44 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 59/41 55/42 57/49 58/45 63/39 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 61/50 61/46 Lewiston 64/44 Astoria 59/47 62/48 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 62/48 Pendleton 60/40 The Dalles 63/44 59/43 64/45 La Grande Salem 63/41 62/47 Albany Corvallis 62/46 62/46 John Day 64/42 Ontario Eugene Bend 65/40 62/45 60/34 Caldwell Burns 68/42 62/33 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 62 61 60 59 62 60 62 59 63 64 63 63 61 65 60 62 65 61 59 62 60 62 54 60 61 61 63 Lo 48 34 34 48 33 40 45 41 44 42 35 41 39 45 49 49 40 43 43 48 33 47 42 38 48 46 39 W r c pc c pc c c c sh c pc sh c r sh c pc c c sh pc c c sh sh sh c Hi 63 58 60 60 60 55 63 60 64 59 60 60 57 65 59 64 65 62 61 63 62 61 54 58 61 61 62 Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Lo 50 78 61 43 52 30 39 52 55 63 61 W sh r pc pc t c pc pc c pc c Lo 51 35 41 52 35 40 48 41 42 42 33 43 42 45 51 54 40 43 43 50 40 49 41 38 50 47 42 W r c c c c c c pc pc c pc c c c r r pc pc pc c c c pc c c pc pc Sat. Hi 56 85 74 57 71 38 57 69 71 67 66 Klamath Falls 63/35 Lo 42 78 58 43 50 30 40 54 55 53 61 W c c s pc pc pc pc pc pc r c (in mph) Today Saturday Boardman Pendleton SW 4-8 W 4-8 S 4-8 SE 4-8 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Variable cloudiness today; a passing shower, except dry in central parts. Eastern and Central Oregon: A passing shower today; any time across the north, in the afternoon in central parts. Western Washington: Mostly cloudy today; a passing shower, except periods of rain at the coast. Eastern Washington: Mostly cloudy today with a shower in the area. Cascades: More clouds than sun today; a shower during the morning, but any time across the north. Northern California: Partly sunny today. Partly cloudy tonight. Partly sunny tomor- row. 0 1 2 2 1 Authorities say single BB gun shot killed Tacoma man TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say a single BB gun shot to the heart killed a homeless man found dead in Tacoma this week. The News Tribune reports that police didn’t initially realize the case was a homicide, but an autopsy revealed the cause of death for 32-year-old Dustin Kopp. Kopp was found dead Tuesday morning on a steep embankment. He lived beneath the state Route 16 overpass near South Cedar Street, where the man accused of shooting him, Sergio Suarez, also lived. Suarez was charged Thursday with second- degree murder and second- degree assault. Authorities said in charging papers that Kopp had accused Suarez of stealing another person’s property. They also say that when questioned Suarez confessed. Suarez was due to appear in court Friday. Corrections The Oct. 20 article “Center to help children deal with grief” misstated the ages of the children the center will serve. It is ages 5 to 18. The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. Classiied & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classiieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. WORLD CITIES Hi 55 83 75 56 67 38 57 68 69 80 67 treatment of mentally ill suspects. Portland defense lawyers have said they appreciate the police department’s effort to improve its interaction with people with mental illness, but they worry the practice could breach suspects’ privacy and could be used against criminal defendants. Metropolitan Public Defender Services Executive Director Lane Borg compared the information that recorded by police body cameras. He said such information can shed light on police encounters but could also be misused. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Sat. WINDS Medford 65/45 PORTLAND (AP) — Portland police have been collecting information about the mental state of arrestees since spring, but some lawyers say the practice raises privacy concerns. The Oregonian reports that oficers began recording the information in response to the city’s 2014 settlement with the federal government aimed at improving police REGIONAL CITIES Forecast SUNDAY Lawyers concerned about collection of mental health data Advertising Director: Marissa Williams 541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com Advertising Services: Laura Jensen 541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Terri Briggs 541-278-2678 • tbriggs@eastoregonian.com • Amanda Jacobs 541-278-2683 • ajacobs@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Chris McClellan 541-966-0827 • cmcclellan@eastoregonian.com • Stephanie Newsom 541-278-2687 • snewsom@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Ofice hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays Mostly cloudy with a shower OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — State oficials say after fatally shooting seven wolves, efforts to kill a wolf pack in northeast Washington have ended. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday it will not pursue the remaining members of the Profanity Peak wolf pack. KOMO-TV reports the pack has an adult female and three juveniles remaining. Agency Director Jim Unsworth lifted his order authorizing staff to take lethal action because most livestock are being moved off federal grazing allotments in the Colville National Forest. But he says if the remaining wolves prey on livestock they will be killed. Unsworth says the goal of the action was to stop predations on livestock for the near future. As of Oct. 3, the agency had documented 15 dead or injured cattle, including 10 conirmed and ive probable wolf depredations. Lt. Peter St. John of Portland Fire & Rescue lies in a bed, recovering from surgery at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, Thursday in Portland. St. John was injured during a natural gas explosion near a construction site Wednesday. — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — SATURDAY State oficials: Killing of wolf pack suspended Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 TODAY BRIEFLY 0 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016 -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Areas of rain will affect the Northeast as colder air advances from the Midwest today. Cooler air will progress across the South. Showers will dot the coastal Northwest. Most other areas will be sunny. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 100° in McAllen, Texas Low 9° in Angel Fire, N.M. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 72 68 75 75 65 71 68 69 84 55 53 57 73 75 55 77 24 57 85 77 55 84 61 86 66 94 Lo 47 46 52 47 42 45 44 60 52 41 37 44 51 40 38 51 7 36 75 50 38 52 44 63 43 60 W s c c sh pc pc pc r pc sh pc sh s s c s pc pc sh s pc pc s s s s Sat. Hi 76 66 59 60 63 69 65 63 70 55 59 54 79 80 53 82 23 60 85 78 58 73 71 90 70 83 Lo 50 47 46 42 40 44 48 43 46 42 43 45 54 43 42 55 4 42 74 53 45 47 52 65 46 60 Today W s s pc pc pc s pc sh s c pc c s pc pc pc c pc pc s pc s s s s s Louisville Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans New York City Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, ME Providence Raleigh Rapid City Reno Sacramento St. Louis Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tucson Washington, DC Wichita Hi 61 65 87 53 55 62 80 74 69 63 78 96 65 72 75 68 74 80 60 68 89 71 59 93 73 68 Lo 42 44 69 38 41 42 60 51 47 41 49 71 54 59 48 34 44 51 43 48 63 56 47 65 51 45 W pc s pc pc pc pc pc sh s s sh s r r sh s s s s s s s c s sh s Sat. Hi 63 70 84 59 63 65 76 55 77 72 58 97 65 63 63 73 71 73 69 71 80 67 59 94 61 76 Lo 47 49 67 44 44 43 59 43 51 48 45 71 38 40 43 37 44 48 53 51 65 53 49 66 47 50 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc s s pc pc s s r s s pc s sh sh s s s s s pc s s c s pc s
