A van erupted in flames beneath Interstate 5 in Portland after a crash, trapping six injured people inside until firefighters and a bystander pulled them to safety

By Sami Edge
oregonlive.com

PORTLAND, Ore. — A crash on North Columbia Boulevard left six people trapped inside a burning van under Interstate 5 on Sunday evening, Portland Fire & Rescue said in a news release.

Callers told emergency dispatchers that the van was “completely engulfed in flames,” around 8 p.m, the news release said. Portland police closed the road to traffic.

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“The heavy smoke column rising into the sky made it evident to the arriving crews that there was a very significant fire,” the Fire Bureau said. “If accurate and occupants were trapped, lives were in jeopardy.”

Portland firefighters on scene decided to extinguish the flames before they tried to get passengers out of the car, the agency said. A local community member helped pull the passengers from the vehicle, Portland firefighters said in the news release.

Nobody inside the van was burned, but they were all “significantly injured” in the crash that had caused the fire, the Fire Bureau said. Portland police said ambulances took five of the van’s passengers to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Portland police asked Sunday for anyone with information about the crash to reach out to them at [email protected] and reference case number 26-97731.

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