Portland Declares Emergency Over Centennial Mills Collapse Risk as Union Pacific Resumes Service on 1 Track
Updated
Updated · Fox 12 Oregon · Aug 11
Portland Declares Emergency Over Centennial Mills Collapse Risk as Union Pacific Resumes Service on 1 Track
3 articles · Updated · Fox 12 Oregon · Aug 11
Summary
Mayor Keith Wilson declared a state of emergency Monday after Union Pacific restarted freight service through the Centennial Mills collapse zone, while Amtrak kept passenger trains suspended.
City officials said the fire-damaged warehouse is an imminent collapse threat and warned train vibrations could trigger an uncontrolled failure, endangering crews, residents and emergency responders.
Union Pacific said it would run trains on the track farthest from the structure under a voluntary speed limit and provide its own hazmat crew after talks with the city.
Five days were given to the building owner to submit a demolition plan, with Portland officials saying the unstable shell could be brought down as soon as Friday.
The fire's cause and possible human remains at the site still cannot be investigated fully until demolition is completed, leaving a long-troubled Pearl District property at the center of the response.