I know an ex Alaska maintenance guy, he said he would bet $100 it was emergency door that was not secured properly by the flight crew and after investigation all flight crew will have to take a refresher course on how to properly close a door.
Lol nobody read the article. It was normally an emergency escape hatch option that would open inwards. But... Alaska air decided not go with that option and Boeing had secured the hatch and made it look like a regular part of the wall.
Boring messed up really bad.