This story was updated at 8:40 a.m. March 25 with comments from a Patrick Lumber source and clarifications on the incident.
Firefighters responded to a report of a fire in a building at Patrick Lumber west of Philomath Thursday morning, Philomath Fire and Rescue reported.
The call came in at 9:25 a.m. to the wood products manufacturing facility located at Highway 20 and Noon Road.
According to a report from the fire department, Patrick Lumber employees had attacked 2- to 3-foot flames with extinguishers from the area of a wood-drying kiln.
“Luckily, it was a small fire that we were able to handle internally. We called in Philomath Fire to ensure the fire was in fact extinguished, which it was,” said Natalie Heacock, Patrick Lumber president. “All is well thanks to the quick thinking and actions of our team at PLM.”
Philomath Fire and Rescue crews checked for any extension of the fire by removing sections of the outer corrugated metal siding. When the seat of the fire was located, crews removed the smoldering wood, according to a report. Patrick Lumber personnel assisted crews to reach the area of the fire using a high-lift vehicle.
No injuries were reported and according to an incident report, the damage was estimated at $10,000.
Philomath’s response included Fire Chief Chancy Ferguson as incident commander, Capt. Rich Saalsaa as safety officer, a truck crew of four, an engine crew of two, a tender crew of two and one off-duty firefighter.
The Corvallis Fire Department and Monroe Rural Fire responded to the original dispatch but were canceled.
