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The park next to the Centennial Mills warehouse that was gutted by a fire Sunday has been temporarily closed. Portland Parks & Recreation announced Wednesday that The Fields Park was closed Wednesday morning and would remain so until experts can determine the area is safe from the building’s potential collapse.
The Fields Park, where dozens of onlookers gathered to watch flames consume the interior of the 115-year-old flour mill, has a large lawn, a playground, a fenced-off area for dogs, and other amenities. City officials say there is no timeline for when the park will reopen.
“The safety of all workers, park visitors, and neighbors remains Portland Parks & Recreation’s top priority,” the parks bureau wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Meanwhile, city permitting officials are working with the property’s owner, Stuart Lindquist, on the logistics of a controlled demolition. “Due to multiple reports of leaning walls, the instability of the heavy steel water tower structure on the roof, and the fire damage, there are concerns about the building’s structural integrity,” city officials said in a Wednesday evening statement. “There is a risk that the building could collapse.
“Assuming it is still standing, we expect a controlled demolition may begin to take place in the coming weeks.”
Northwest Naito Parkway remains closed from 9th to 15th avenues, says Dylan Rivera, a spokesman for the Portland Bureau of Transportation. The bureau is following safety guidance from Portland Fire & Rescue, Rivera says.
Fire officials said Monday that they were examining the structural integrity of the building. The structural status of the building is now being examined by Portland Permitting & Development, a fire official told WW on Wednesday. Drone footage that has circulated on social media in recent days shows that all eight stories of the building collapsed onto the ground floor, just as firefighters described.
Officials with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality are analyzing contaminant levels in the park. The warehouse contained some asbestos, DEQ says. “However,” the city added in a statement, “ongoing air monitoring suggests potential exposure to asbestos from the air to nearby residents and the broader community is low.”
This story has been updated with new information from the city.
