A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood just east of Portland on Saturday morning, resulting in a fire that engulfed several condominium units. The incident, which occurred around 10:20 a.m. local time, has left at least five families without homes.
According to officials from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the twin-engine Cessna 421C crashed into a row of three-story condo units, igniting a fire that quickly spread to four of the buildings. Fire Chief Scott Lewis of Gresham Fire Department reported that the crash also knocked down a power pole, causing additional hazards in the area.
“The incident began when air traffic control at Troutdale Airport reported an ‘aircraft emergency,'” Lewis explained. “They then observed a column of smoke rising west of the airport, indicating that something was seriously wrong.”
In addition to the fire, the crash caused a brush fire near a swampy area, but officials confirmed that it did not spread further. “At some point during the crash, the plane hit a power pole, which caused it to fall and led to the downing of power lines in the vicinity,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Plock stated.
The downed power lines resulted in significant outages, with Portland General Electric reporting that approximately 9,000 customers were without power as of Saturday afternoon. The utility company is currently assessing the damage and restoring service to affected areas.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has initiated an investigation into the crash, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) taking the lead. Gresham Fire officials are also conducting an independent investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
