Employees Keep Fire Damage to a Minimum at the Garten Foundation

No people were hurt as employees helped the fire from spreading through the building.

Photo courtesy: Bill Holmstrom/Salem Fire

(SALEM) - Employees at the Garten Foundation were busy packing old newspapers Tuesday when a spark ignited a large pile of papers. The plant was immediatly evacuated.

Salem Fire Spokesman Bill Holmstrom says the department received the call for a structure fire at 3334 Industrial Way NE, the Garten Foundation at 12:45 PM.

Fire Fighter Chad Cook said workers from the plant were using bulldozers to scoop piles of the burning debris away from the larger piles when crews arrived, "This helped prevent the fire from spreading through the rest of the building."

Firefighters using foam to help saturate the material extinguished the piles of burning paper.

Damage was limited to the burned paper. The cause was determined to be a spark from machinery ignited the paper.