Centennial Mills water tower brought down in controlled blast in Portland, walls next

Crews in Portland, Oregon, completed a controlled blast demolition of the fire-damaged Centennial Mills water tower along the Willamette River, more than two weeks after an Aug. 2 fire left the structure unstable. Remaining walls will next come down using a high-reach excavator, with crews monitoring wall stability throughout. Officials say the site is still too dangerous for entry, delaying efforts to verify or recover human remains, and expect the area to reopen in about two weeks. Separately, Synergy Environmental and subcontractor Lions Contracting are handling fire debris cleanup nearby.