Baby rescued but three die after power line falls on car in ice storm

Shortly before noon, dispatchers started receiving frantic calls about a downed power line and people appearing to be electrocuted, according to a statement from the city’s fire department.

A branch had fallen on a power line, causing it to fall onto an SUV, the statement said.

As the chaotic situation unfolded, a resident grabbed the baby from one of the people lying in the street in a bid to save its life, according to the statement.

The three killed: two adults and one teenager; were found dead upon firefighters’ arrival, and the baby was taken to a hospital.

It is believed the victims were electrocuted after they got out of the vehicle, the statement said.

The power company later de-energized the line, the statement added without specifying which company.

Around Portland, driving and even walking were virtually impossible as slick ice coated roads and sidewalks.

Icicles dangled from roofs and cars, and ice encased branches, plants and leaves like thick glass.

A large swath of the region was under weather warnings on Wednesday for as much as an inch (2.5 centimetres) of ice, promising only to add to the damage wrought by a deadly, powerful storm that hit over the weekend.

The warning area was reduced later in the morning to parts of south-west Washington and north-west Oregon, including Portland, and further limited to the western edge of the Columbia River Gorge in the afternoon.

Freezing rain could return to the region on Thursday evening through Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.

The areas most likely to be impacted include the eastern Portland metro area and the western Columbia River Gorge.

The three deaths on Wednesday added to at least seven deaths linked to fallen trees and suspected hypothermia during the previous weekend’s storm.