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Firefighters douse the interior on the west side of the Murphy Plywood Mill in Sutherlin on Tuesday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
SUTHERLIN — A fire at Murphy Plywood Tuesday afternoon in downtown Sutherlin quickly spread to engulf several buildings on the property, destroying the plant.
Central Avenue was closed from State Street on the east end to Taylor Street on the west end and the other businesses in the area no longer accessible. Firefighters are still working to put out the fire at of 6 p.m. today.
A faulty motor inside one of the driers used to dry veneer likely caused the fire, which began at 12:45, said John Murphy, one of the owners of Murphy Plywood in Sutherlin.
The plant was a "total loss," he said.
When employees noticed the fire, a handful were on the roof attempting to extinguish it.
“When we decided it was beyond our capabilities, we got everybody out safely,” Murphy said.
He said about 65 of the plant’s 275 employees were working. No one was injured.
By 4 p.m., the fire had spread to the entire roof of the building and spread to a neighboring building. A huge plume of black smoke billowed skyward. Flashes of red flames could be seen through holes in the walls of the huge warehouse buildings. Blackened stacks of veneer glowed red. Periodic cracks thundered as walls on the Central Avenue side of the plant fell inward.
Firefighters from throughout the county were called to the scene, including Sutherlin, Tri City, Oakland, Roseburg and Douglas County Fire District No. 2.
Firefighters worked to keep the businesses across Central Avenue wet as well as the stacks of plywood and other materials in the yard beyond the buildings. By this time, firefighters hopes had moved from trying to put out the fire to trying to keep it from spreading.
See Wednesday’s News-Review and the Web site for updates.
Central Avenue was closed from State Street on the east end to Taylor Street on the west end and the other businesses in the area no longer accessible. Firefighters are still working to put out the fire at of 6 p.m. today.
A faulty motor inside one of the driers used to dry veneer likely caused the fire, which began at 12:45, said John Murphy, one of the owners of Murphy Plywood in Sutherlin.
The plant was a "total loss," he said.
When employees noticed the fire, a handful were on the roof attempting to extinguish it.
“When we decided it was beyond our capabilities, we got everybody out safely,” Murphy said.
He said about 65 of the plant’s 275 employees were working. No one was injured.
By 4 p.m., the fire had spread to the entire roof of the building and spread to a neighboring building. A huge plume of black smoke billowed skyward. Flashes of red flames could be seen through holes in the walls of the huge warehouse buildings. Blackened stacks of veneer glowed red. Periodic cracks thundered as walls on the Central Avenue side of the plant fell inward.
Firefighters from throughout the county were called to the scene, including Sutherlin, Tri City, Oakland, Roseburg and Douglas County Fire District No. 2.
Firefighters worked to keep the businesses across Central Avenue wet as well as the stacks of plywood and other materials in the yard beyond the buildings. By this time, firefighters hopes had moved from trying to put out the fire to trying to keep it from spreading.
See Wednesday’s News-Review and the Web site for updates.
