Public safety incident

A vehicle carrying explosives crashed through the front entrance of an athletic club in downtown Portland, Oregon, early Saturday morning, authorities said, causing significant damage to the building. The driver was found dead inside the vehicle. Portland Fire and Rescue said firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle driving into the front entrance of the Multnomah Athletic Club a little before 3 a.m. local time. The vehicle caught fire after the crash, the fire department said. Once the blaze was brought under control, law enforcement found the deceased driver inside, the Portland Police Bureau reported. A club spokesperson told CBS News that no employees or members were injured. The driver has not been officially identified, but sources told The Oregonian that the person was a former club employee. Portland police said in a statement Saturday night that during an ensuing search of the vehicle and building, investigators located several incendiary and improvised explosive devices, some of which had partially detonated. Propane tanks were also found. Robots were used to recover and detonate some of the remaining explosive devices, police said. "Some of those devices had already gone off, and so there was significant damage to the area," Portland Police Sgt. Jim Defrain said in an earlier news briefing. Athletic club employees had reported seeing the suspect vehicle slowly circling the building prior to the crash, police said. "Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives believe the driver intentionally entered the building with the intent to deploy explosive devices," police disclosed in their statement.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day told reporters, however, that the incident was believed to be isolated and "not related to domestic terrorism."The club said in its own statement that the facility will remain closed. It noted that the closure was expected to be prolonged. "Our team is cooperating fully with the Portland Police Bureau and Portland Fire & Rescue, who are leading the investigation. Out of respect for that process, we will defer to them for additional details," the statement said.The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting Portland police with the investigation.