Aging Incinerator Caused Tragic Oregon Fire

Date: December 5, 2002

Source: News Room

Years of heat from an incinerator created the conditions that led to an explosive fire that killed three firefighters at a Coos Bay, Oregon auto parts store, according to investigators. The fire claimed more firefighters' lives than any other blaze in Oregon history. The incinerator, used to dispose of grease at the store's machine shop, dried out the wood of the walls over a period of years, making it possible for flames to ignite at a lower temperature than normal, state fire officials said, and the flames exploded when exposed to oxygen. Coos Bay, a coastal town of about 15,500 people, is about 170 miles southwest of Portland.

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