Bremik Construction of Portland, in a post on the company's Facebook page, appears to take responsibility for the natural gas line rupture that destroyed two buildings and injured eight people Wednesday.

The Facebook post also appears to suggest that NW Natural was notified of the project excavation at Northwest 23rd Avenue and Glisan Street before it occurred.

"A utility subcontractor was performing permitted utility line relocations in the right-of-way near a Bremik Construction project site at Northwest 23rd Avenue and Glisan Street when a natural gas pipeline was hit during excavation," the post says. "We understand utility notifications, locates and protocols were in place and clearly marked before work proceeded."

Bremik president Brent Parry referred questions to a spokesperson for MDU Resources Group, Inc. The Bismarck, North Dakota-based, publicly trade company provides "value-added natural resource products and related services that are essential to energy and transportation infrastructure," according to its website. The MDU spokesperson could not be immediately reached Thursday morning.

A NW Natural spokesperson in Portland, informed of Bremik's Facebook posting, sent an email reply Thursday morning, saying, "We are in the process of investigating and need to wait for the facts to be confirmed."

On Wednesday, NW Natural spokesperson Melissa Moore said after the explosion: "A third party was digging," adding, "That's why we want people to call before they dig."

Bremik is the contractor for a three-story plus penthouse retail commercial building at the corner of Northwest 23rd Avenue and Northwest Glisan Street in the Historic Alphabet District, according to Portland city records. The 36,000-square-foot structure, with a basement parking garage, is slated for the former site of a Plaid Pantry and its parking lot.

The project owner is Rosehill Investments, Inc. LLC of Seattle and the project applicant is Paul Jeffreys of Ankrom Moison Architects in Portland, city documents show. The project has a valuation of $14.8 million.

Two blasts ignited by a natural gas leak occurred in quick succession about 9:40 a.m. Wednesday in the 500 block of Northwest 23rd Avenue, rocking the entertainment and shopping district and sending up a smoke plume of billowing smoke visible across the city.

Eight people, including three firefighters, were injured, but none suffered life-threatening injuries.

--Allan Brettman

503-294-5900

@allanbrettman