Downed trees and power lines, along Southwest Taylor Street near 90th Avenue in Portland, as seen on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2024. The Portland metro area is facing difficult conditions including downed trees and power lines and icy roads.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Bitter cold and falling trees may have killed at least eight people in Oregon over the last few days.
The Multnomah County medical examiner’s office suspects four men have died from hypothermia in Portland — one on Friday, another on Saturday and two on Monday. No more details are being released at this time. The final causes of death will likely take weeks because the county has to investigate the possibility of other reasons, like fentanyl or alcohol.
Nearby Washington County said an unidentified Tigard resident was found dead in their home on Monday.
Lake Oswego Fire Marshal Gert Zoutendijk said winds on Saturday knocked more than 100 trees down and 30 fell right onto homes.
“In my 25-year career here with Lake Oswego, I’ve never seen such devastation,” Zoutendijk said.
One person was killed by a fallen tree in Lake Oswego.
“We unfortunately had a tree that fell and hit a house. And an elderly man who was sleeping on the second floor was crushed by the tree,” he said.
Separately, Portland Fire & Rescue said a person died after a tree fell on an RV. Three people escaped, but one was trapped and an open flame on the vehicle’s stove caused a fire. The nearest hydrant was inoperative because of ice.
A 38-year-old man in Redmond is believed to have died from hypothermia after being pinned between his sliding car and some rocks. No more details are currently available.
An ice storm warning was issued for the Portland metro area, Southwest Washington and the Willamette Valley area starting Tuesday at 1 p.m. As of late Tuesday morning, Multnomah County proclaimed a severe weather alert. Across the state, more than 50,000 utility customers were without power.