Investigators keep looking for the cause but aren’t optimistic they’ll find it

BY PATRICK LAIR
ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD

LEBANON — Fire officials continue to investigate Monday’s fire at the former Champion Mill site on Cheadle Lake and say the size of the blaze makes it difficult to pinpoint the cause.

“There’s a lot of damage,” said Lebanon Fire Marshal Mark Wilson. “And with the extent of the damage it may come up to be we don’t find an exact cause.”

The fire was first reported about 6:57 a.m. Monday and the bulk of the flames were suppressed by early afternoon.

Firefighters from Albany, Brownsville, Corvallis, Halsey, Scio, Shedd and Sweet Home came to help.

Parts of the site were still smoking and smoldering Tuesday afternoon, Wilson said, which has impeded a joint investigation by Lebanon and the state fire marshal’s office.

One thing the firefighters can say for certain is the fire began somewhere inside the old custom plant, which burned entirely.

The building was unoccupied except for a two-room office used by maintenance employees who took care of the facilities, Wilson said.

The damage from Monday’s fire is estimated at $2.756 million, and the owner, Lebanon Hardboard LLC, is insured.

Nearby residents reported hearing a series of explosions during the fire but Wilson said investigators haven’t found anything to explain that.

He has found propane tanks on the site, but they weren’t exploded.

His theory is that some large cyclones on the roof might have created the loud noises when they fell to the ground as the structure collapsed.