Portland police are investigating an explosion behind a Southwest Portland apartment complex, beside Markham Elementary School.

No injuries were reported.

A secretary at Markham Elementary School said she and others in the office heard the explosion, but didn't have any idea what caused it.

Police were called to the Terri Lee Manor apartments at 10625 S.W. Capitol Highway at 12:36 p.m. The explosion occurred in the back parking lot of the complex and damaged two cars, police said.

The Metropolitan Explosives Disposal Unit responded, and brought in a bomb squad robot to help investigate.

Markham was placed on precautionary lockdown, but all students were safe.



"We do know it was a device of some sort," said police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson. "These types of incidents are pretty rare for a device to be detonated."



Police said they don't know if the device was inside or outside the vehicles. They also don't know the motive. Arson detectives are taking the lead in the investigation.



Police also searched Markham's south parking lot for any possible fragments from the explosion but found none, Simpson said. The school was let out as usual.

Several residents of the Terri Lee Manor apartments heard the explosion.

Margaret Faulkner, who lives in a townhouse at Terri Lee Manor said she was sitting on her couch when she heard "a really loud bang."

"I came out and saw smoke," Faulkner said.

Hussen Abu, 27, said, "We just heard a loud noise and ran out."

Abu said he saw smoke coming out beneath a car parked in the back lot and a car beside it had its windows shattered.

Residents of the apartment complex were evacuated as police investigated.

Mohammed Abdi, who also lives at Terri Lee Manor, said he was asleep and was awakened by a "huge, loud explosion."

He said he came outside and saw the shattered back window of a parked red car in the lot. He said he did not see anyone outside or any smoke but called police.

Abdi said the red car that had its window shattered belonged to his cousin, also a resident of the apartment complex.

Ali Othman, who lives across the street and was playing the video game Halo, said he heard a loud boom that sounded like a semi-trailer truck's tire getting blown out. "It was a short, loud pop," Othman said. "The sliding glass door shook."

Larry Dashiell, of the Portland Public Schools district, said police suggested that Markham be placed in lockdown as officers investigated. School resource officers were also called to the scene, and a bus was provided on the school property to provide protection from the elements for the evacuated residents.

Parent Michael Barton, whose son is a third-grader at Markham, said he was disturbed that it took more than an hour before Portland school district officials called him with an alert about what was happening.

Police ask that anyone with information about the explosion contact arson Detective Joe Luiz at (503) 823-3408 or by email at joseph.luiz@portlandoregon.gov, or fire investigator Rick McGraw at (503) 823-3797 or by email at rick.mcgraw@portlandoregon.gov.

-- Maxine Bernstein