Portland, OR

Wednesday in Portland: SW Portland office building catches fire, free camping this weekend at state parks & more

Emily Scarvie

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=47kW3k_0mghlXpw00
Photo by(David McNew/Getty Images)

(PORTLAND, Ore.) Hello Portlanders! It's Wednesday, May 31 - Here's your daily round up of all the news happening in the City of Roses.

1. Vancouver police shoot and kill armed-robbery suspect outside Safeway

Vancouver police shot and killed an armed-robbery suspect Tuesday evening outside a Safeway grocery store. A detective spotted a car headed west on East Mill Plain Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. and recognized the driver “as a suspect who was wanted for multiple, recent armed robberies.” The detective followed the car to the Safeway on Mill Plain and Andresen Road.

The detective and other officers waited outside Safeway until they saw the suspect leave the store. “When (the suspect) saw police, he dropped a bag of items, displayed a firearm, ran westbound through the parking lot and during the attempt to apprehend him the suspect fired at officers, and they returned fire,” Vancouver police said in a statement.

Three Vancouver police officers and one Clark County sheriff’s deputy fired their weapons, according to police. The suspect died at the scene. No other injuries have been reported. Police have not yet publicly identified the suspect.

2. SW Portland office building catches fire early Wednesday

Authorities say a southwest Portland office building went up in flames early Wednesday morning. Portland Fire & Rescue said that the two-story office building, located south of Taylors Ferry Road on Southwest Barbur Boulevard, had “heavy fire” burning the width of the entire building. Crews were quick to respond, but overhead power lines and distance to the nearest fire hydrant made progress difficult.

Fire officials said most of the fire had been extinguished shortly after 4 a.m. but crews were still working to fully put it out. Most of the roof was burned off in the blaze. Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

3. Camp for free on Saturday in honor of State Parks Day

In honor of State Parks Day, camping is free at all Oregon State Parks on Saturday. The tradition has been around since 1998 and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department says it’s a way to thank Oregonians for their support of the state park system.

“Oregon has one of the best state parks systems in the country, and it’s because you have invested in parks, cared for them and preserved them for everyone to enjoy. Thank you,” OPRD Director Lisa Sumption said.

The free camping applies to tent, RV and horse campsites. There will also be no day-use parking fees at the 25 locations that charge them on Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, OPRD will host several free events and service projects on Saturday to celebrate State Parks Day.

More Portland News:

This is original content from NewsBreak’s Creator Program. Join today to publish and share your own content.

Comments / 0

Published by

Covering everything happening in the City of Roses.

Portland, OR
5K followers

More from Emily Scarvie

Comments / 0