PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After a 3-alarm fire ravaged the Portland Korean Church Tuesday night, Portland Fire & Rescue announced Wednesday that the church will be demolished after it was deemed unsafe by personnel from the city engineer’s office.
Officials say the timeline to begin the demolition was expedited because the church’s structure currently poses a danger to the area and is affecting street travel, along with Portland Streetcar operations.
The demolition will begin Thursday, according to PF&R, who says their goal is to remove enough of the structure to open up the streets and return Streetcar operations back to normal
Updates on the building and the status of street travel can be found on PF&R’s Twitter page.
PF&R says they will maintain a fire watch operation with crews and vehicles at the scene to provide fire suppression if needed until the demolition starts.
Officials say to avoid the area as all travel in the area, including foot traffic, will be restricted until the building is removed.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.