The water tower on top of the Centennial Mills Warehouse in Portland’s Pearl District came down in a shattering explosion at 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon.

The rest of the structure remained standing as onlookers, firefighters, police and nearby residents cheered amid a gust of dust and debris.

With the first part of the demolition complete, contractors will work to break down the rest of the building piece by piece over the next couple of weeks.

The blast rocked the neighborhood after fire engines and police blared their sirens several times before the controlled detonation.

The explosion comes amid concerns from residents that asbestos and lead found in the ruins of the building, which burned in a fire Aug. 2, could pose a hazard to the surrounding community.

Portland’s permitting director Eric Kutch said in a press conference minutes before the detonation the city is working with contractors on asbestos abatement and cleanup.

This story will be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/17/portland-pearl-district-centennial-mills-demolition/