Another Fire in Salem, Officials Believe Someone Setting Fires

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Published on September 25 2015 8:05 am
Last Updated on September 25 2015 8:05 am
Written by Greg Sapp

The mostly vacant Yohe Laundry building across from the Salem Fire Protection District in Salem is a total loss from an early morning fire. The blaze has also spread to the Pregnancy Care Center to the south.

With the fire coming less than two days after the blaze that destroyed the old Brown Shoe Company building, Salem Police Chief Sean Reynolds is confident they are now dealing with someone setting fires. Salem firefighters have called multiple fire departments for mutual aid.

Several streets in the area of the fire were closed and students faced challenges in meeting their school buses due to the fire.

Meanwhile, most of the walls that remain standing at the old Brown Shoe Company in Salem will be coming down Friday.

Salem City Manager Bill Gruen says the current situation is unstable. Gruen said it's not the City's job to clean up the remnants of the fire, but they will do it to avoid a safety issue. 

Gruen joined fire and police officials at the fire scene Thursday morning to plan the next step in clearing the debris. The State Fire Marshal joined local fire and police officials to try and determine the cause of the fire that destroyed the more than century old building.