Two Salem Firefighters Hospitalized After Fighting Blaze

A Jaguar that was sitting near the home apparently lit on fire, firefighters still don't know why.

Photos courtesy: Bill Holmstrom/Salem Fire

(SALEM, Ore.) - Two firefighters were injured this morning while battling a house fire at 502 Snow White Way SE in Salem. The call for the two-alarm fire came in at 10:16 AM, according to Salem Fire Spokesman Bill Holmstrom.

"When firefighters arrived on scene they had the entire back area of the home engulfed in flames. A second alarm was called at 10:21 AM sending more firefighters and fire apparatus to the scene."

He says the rear of the home had a large second floor deck that was the cover for a carport. "Firefighters aggressively fought the blaze for 20-minutes before they had it under control it," Holmstrom said.

"The fire spread to the inside the structure, but firefighters were able to stop it, before the fire could do a lot of damage to the interior."

Two Firefighters were injured while fighting the fire. Holmstrom told Salem-News that both were transported to Salem Hospital in good condition.

"The first injury happened when the fire was first underway. The second came toward the end." Holmstrom says one of the firefighters ahs been released from the hospital.

The occupant/owner Patrica Joy Custis, was at home at the time of the fire and she and her dog were able to escape without injury.

Prior to the fire, she stated that she heard a car horn. Thinking that someone had been in an accident in her front yard, she went to the kitchen window then discovered the fire in her 1998 Jaguar.

"The damage estimate has not been determined at the time of this release, but 4 vehicles including a 1998 Jaguar, 1992 Corvette, 1949 Bentley, and a 1929 replica Mercedes were all a total loss," Holmstrom said.

The cause of the fire has been determined to have started in the Jaguar, but the exact cause is still under investigation.