PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Two weeks after an abandoned building in Northwest Portland went up in flames, its demolition is set to begin Monday afternoon.
Four deliberately-placed explosives are expected to go off at the water tower on top of the Centennial Mills warehouse, marking the first step to demolish the building after a four-alarm fire gutted it on Aug. 2.
The city of Portland told KOIN 6 News the demolition will begin sometime Monday afternoon, though they did not specify a time. Contractors will then carefully dismantle the building, wall by wall, in the weeks ahead.
The 116-year-old building is considered a hazard. Not only is it at risk of toppling over on its own without regulation, it has also tested positive for asbestos. Portland Fire and Rescue also believes there could be human remains somewhere inside.
City officials claim a controlled demolition will help mitigate the risk of asbestos particles, but are still warning residents to steer clear of the collapse zone 300 feet around the building and seek medical attention if needed. Pearl District neighbors worry they’ll get ‘flavor blasted with asbestos’ from Centennial Mills demolition
Despite these precautions, nearby residents like Jack Martin are still concerned.
“I feel like we were all being flavor-blasted with asbestos, and there’s no one here to, like, stand up for us or look out,” he said.
Another resident, Connor McCarthy, said, “My biggest question right now is if that dust gets outside of the demolition zone, what will the city be doing to help clean it up and make sure that we residents and also our pets are safe
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