Passengers rescued from stuck Portland light-rail train

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a high-voltage power line has been cleared from light rail tracks near Interstate 84 and Interstate 205 and that up to 100 people who had been trapped on a train were being evacuated.

Portland Fire & Rescue tweeted at about 10 p.m. Friday that Pacific Power cleared the power line. Officials said no injuries were reported.

Multiple news outlets were reporting the Tri-Met MAX train had been stopped and passengers stuck inside for several hours.

Portland transportation officials tweeted a thank you to riders on the train for their “extraordinary” patience. Officials also thanked Portland police and fire for helping to safely evacuate riders “in a difficult situation.”

Freezing rain in Portland was causing downed lines and trees throughout the city, also causing thousands of customers to lose power Friday night.

Portland General Electric reported Friday night that the number of customers without power had increased to about 16,000, mostly in Multnomah County.

Ice-coated tree limbs and power lines came on the second day of a storm that brought snow and then freezing rain to the area. The National Weather Service described the weather Friday night in eastern Portland and the Columbia River Gorge as a major ice storm.

The weather service said trees in the rest of the Portland metro area were reaching a breaking point and urged people to avoid walking under them.

The National Weather Service again extended a freezing rain advisory for the area, which is now set expire in the early morning hours Saturday.

Portland Fire & Rescue tweeted Friday night that preliminary numbers show the department responded to 378 emergencies between midnight Friday and 7:30 p.m. Authorities say 65 of those calls were power-related and 59 were falls on ice.

The weather service also issued an ice storm warning and winter storm warning for much of the Columbia River Gorge through the early morning hours on Saturday and said travel in that area will be extremely difficult.

In Washington, transportation officials say the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 were closed temporarily Friday afternoon near Cle Elum after multiple crashes and spin-outs.

A winter storm warning was issued through Saturday afternoon for that area encompassing Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon with sleet and freezing rain to mix with light snow expected.

The warning includes Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 12 along Snoqualmie Pass and White Pass.