On Christmas Eve, a car crash in Portland’s Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhood caused a natural gas fire. The blaze was so great that it displaced several residents from their homes.
The driver of the car lost control while careening around a turn, crashing into a home on Northeast 24th and Weidler. The crash severed a gas meter, igniting the gas line and causing the flames to spread along the exterior of the home. Firefighters were eventually able to extinguish the fire.
Videos by VICE
Thankfully, no one was injured. But residents of the neighborhood are plenty pissed because this is the 30th time in 30 years that someone has crashed into that property.
Portland Car Crash Starts Massive Fire on Christmas Eve
A guy named Mike Powers lives next to the house in question. He and his wife have been there for 30 years. In that time, he says he and his wife have documented 30 crashes at that property.
The Christmas Eve crash is just the cherry on top. It caused an explosion so big that it blew out some of his windows. Luckily most of the residents were long gone for the holidays. So there were no injuries. But there was one cat that firefighters needed to give oxygen to. The cat was then sent off to an animal hospital for further observation and treatment.
Powers says that cars are always driving way too fast around a specific turn in front of that property, making that house a magnet for car crashes. Despite complaints from residents about the dangerous curve nearby, city officials have yet to address the hazard.
