The St. Johns Bridge has reopened in both directions in Northwest Portland following a fatal train-tractor trailer crash east of the bridge Sunday morning.
Portland Fire and Rescue reports that a fuel truck ran off the road and collided with eight parked railcars. After extinguishing the fire, firefighters determined that the driver of the tractor-trailer was deceased. Portland Police identified the driver as Andrew John Lambert, 41, of Vancouver, Washington.
The railcars were carrying hot asphalt. The thick, black smoke that blanketed the area was a result of the fuel truck burning, as the asphalt on the railcars didn't burn or leak, according to Portland Fire & Rescue.
The explosion happened about 400 feet from NW Natural's Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage tank, said the environmental nonprofit group Willamette Riverkeeper.
Earlier Sunday morning emergency officials issued a shelter in place order. “The smoke plume, we were concerned about people breathing that,” said Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman Terry Foster. “That can be irritating to the lungs and we wanted people to stay indoors. And we were unsure how long it would take to control this fire.”
Smoke from the fire could be seen from across the river.
Jan & Michael Barlow
One eastbound lane of U.S. 30 reopened Sunday afternoon. The road remained closed for several hours and later reopened, according to Portland Police. The incident is under investigation by Portland Police.
Portland's Holiday Half Marathon had kicked off just before the explosion. Even though it was Natalie Sept's third time running in the race, by mile five she was struggling like a rookie.
"This was the toughest one," Sept says. "I didn't train as well."
But Sept says she picked up her pace after getting a "big shot of adrenaline" when she heard the explosion.
"I was running along mile five, and there was a really loud sound," the 31-year-old told OPB. "Then there was this really menacing looking smoke. It didn't look like normal smoke," said Sept.
Sept rode that adrenaline to the end of a race she didn't know was cancelled. Organizers ended the race because of the thick, black, oily smoke coming from a fuel truck that collided with the railcars.
