Fire in Salem Destroys One Home and Threatens Another

The cause of the fire was an inappropriate use of woodstove.

Photos courtesy: Bill Holmstrom/Salem Fire

(SALEM) - Salem firefighters were called to a structure fire in Salem Sunday just after noon at 2577 Simpson Street SE. Crews enroute to the scene say they saw a large column of black smoke when they left the fire station.

Fire Department Spokesman Bill Holmstrom says a second alarm was called at 12:13 PM bringing more equipment and firefighters to the scene. Holmstrom says Salem engine #1 was first to arrive on scene. Captain Marshal Rash said it was well underway when they arrived. "When we pulled up to the scene, the house was fully involved with fire".

He says firefighters went to a defensive attack to knock down the flames, battling the fire for an hour before they had in extinguished.

While concerned for the burning structure, they also were keeping eye on a neighboring residence, at 2567 1/2 Simpson Street SE. Holmstrom says firefighters were able to prevent any real damage to the neighbor's home. "The fire was discovered by the occupant Mr. Alex Berlin when he returned home. He stated to firefighters that he was burning a large log in his woodstove. The log was so large he was unable to shut the woodstove door. He left his home for approximately 1/2 hour and discovered when he returned that his house was on fire. He stated he is uninsured." The cause of the fire was an inappropriate use of woodstove. The loss is estimated at $110,000 ($100,000 Structure & $10,000 Contents). The home at 2567 1/2 Simpson also received approximately $15,000 damage to the structure. There were no injuries reported.