Vehicle pileup shuts down Oregon interstate amid whiteout
Whiteout conditions in Oregon caused a pileup of as many as 30 cars, trucks and semi-trucks on Interstate 84 on Thursday near Multnomah Falls, officials said.
High winds, snow, and ice caused hazardous conditions on roads, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Deputies responded to several crashes and stalled vehicles across the county, including a multi-vehicle pileup on Interstate 84, according to the sheriff's office.
Officials initially estimated that more than 100 vehicles were involved in the incident. In an update Thursday, the sheriff's office said a further assessment revealed that between 20 to 30 vehicles were involved.
"Low visibility made it difficult to differentiate initially between vehicles that were involved and vehicles that were only stopped," the sheriff's office said in a post on social media.
One SUV caught fire in the wreckage, but everyone was able to escape the SUV, according to the sheriff's office. There were reports of injuries amid the pileup, and first responders went car to car to check on people, some of whom were stuck in their vehicles.
The westbound lanes 3 miles west of Multnomah Falls were closed because of the pileup. It could be a "lengthy closure" due to weather, the Oregon Department of Transportation said. The DOT later said the interstate was also closed in both directions between Ontario and Baker City in the eastern part of the state due to visibility under 500 feet from blowing and drifting snow.
Multnomah Falls is about 30 miles east of Portland.
Part of Northeast 238th Drive in Wood Village Oregon, also part of Multnomah County, was also closed due to slippery conditions and multiple crashes involving more than 20 vehicles, the sheriff's office said.
The greater Portland area was under a winter weather advisory and a cold weather advisory on Thursday as forecasters said snow between 2 and 5 inches could fall with wind gusts up to 60 mph in some places.