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.
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and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801.
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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.
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COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
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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
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541-966-0827 • cmcclellan@eastoregonian.com
• Stephanie Newsom
541-278-2687 • snewsom@eastoregonian.com
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Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255
before noon Tuesday through Friday
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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