I was in the radio station just after lunch
on a weekday when the police scanner broadcast a call from a police officer
about an explosion in downtown Portland. I recognized the approximate location
of the explosion, and located a business in
the area, a dry cleaning service. The owner answered the phone
while hiding under the front counter.
I started a reel-to-reel tape machine and interviewed the man
about the conditions in his building (the front windows had blown in).
He eventually moved out from under the counter and described the scene
on the street, including the sight of the body of a man who died from injuries
sustained when an underground gasoline tank, being removed from a service
station, exploded. I went on the air immediately (our station allowed
that at the time), introduced the story, and ran the taped interview (about
eight minutes).
I wrote, produced, and reported a series on domestic
abuse of women, and about those who try to help them.