Many residents of Bend woke up Friday morning to a thunderous bang.
Soon, people scrambled to social media to search for an explanation. Some wondered about earthquakes, bombs and — jokingly — aliens.
Bend Fire & Rescue confirmed a more benign explanation after an investigation that lasted much of the morning: a shipping container that exploded.
“Upon investigation, it was found that an oxygen — acetylene welding setup inside the shipping container leaked, causing the closed shipping container to fill with the highly flammable mixture,” the agency said in a statement.
The container was located outside Kercher Electric, located at 132 NE Yale Ave.
An upright freezer being used with an extension cord that was running into the shipping container provided the spark to the flammable gases, according to the fire agency.
Damage from the explosion was significant. Bend’s building department roped off Kercher Electric and the neighboring business, Arbor Builders, due to “significant structural damage.” Those businesses remain closed.
Bend Fire & Rescue also said a 911 caller reported debris raining down on the Bend Parkway around 5:34 a.m. One vehicle had its fuel tank punctured by the objects, but firefighters were able to contain the leak.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.