Alex Paul
A fire, believed to be arson, caused an estimated $250,000 damage to the Lester Shingle Mill, 1602 North 18th, at midnight Saturday.
Most of the mill’s equipment was destroyed, according to owner Stan Lester.
Fire Chief Mike Beaver said late Monday that his staff and investigators found four hot spots where the fire started. Investigators concluded the fire was started intentionally, probably with natural products available inside the mill.
?We are done with our investigation, so it?s up to the police to work their magic and try to find out who did it,? Chief Beaver said.
Saturday Sweet Home Police initially notified Jesse Garcia of the blaze. Garcia lives in a house near the site and is employed at Lester Sales Building Supply.
He called owner-manager Jim Philpott at his home and said the mill was “engulfed in flames.”
Fire Chief Mike Beaver said local firefighters began a defensive attack, using two deluge guns to bring the fire quickly under control. Once that was established, the firefighters shifted to hand lines and began an offensive attack, seeking out hot spots within the structure with the aid of thermal imaging equipment.
“Once we saw that the building wasn’t collapsing, about 30-35 minutes into it, we started working the hand lines,” Chief Beaver said. “We got a good stop on the fire.”
Some 50 firefighters helped stopped the blaze, including assist teams from Lebanon and Brownsville Fire Departments.
In all, Chief Beaver said, there were seven engines, one truck company and four support vehicles involved at the scene.
“I think the firefighters did an excellent job,” Chief Beaver said.
Stan Lester said the mill was constructed in 1950 by his father, Mel. The family had already owned the Three-Pack Shingle Mill near what is now the Point Restaurant.
In 1970, the original mill burned to the ground and was rebuilt.
While Lester was in high school in the early 1950s, the plant employed three shifts of employees and did so again in the early 1980s.
“We had four machines working and 12 persons on a shift,” Lester said.
Currently, the mill employed nine persons on a single shift. They produce cedar shingles for housing and shim products used in leveling doors and windows.
Lester said it appears at early review that they lost a debarking saw, a shingle saw, the upper deck area of the building, two band saws, a large air compressor and a welder.
Electrical damage was major.
“It basically took all of the area where we work,” said Larry Lester, who manages the plant along with his brother-in-law, Jim Philpott. The building supply, just yards away from the blaze, was not damaged.
“It’s the only building on the whole place that’s not covered by insurance because the premium would be so high,” Lester said.
Police Chief Bob Burford said his staff was busy Monday interviewing potential witnesses and also running down leads that a disgruntled former employee had made threats against the company in recent weeks.
Agents from the State Fire Marshal’s Office were at the site Monday morning as was an investigator from the arson division.
Chief Burford is asking the public for any information they might have concerning suspicious activities around the mill or the building supply over the weekend.
“This fire put several people out of work, so it’s very serious,” Chief Burford said. “We are asking anyone with any type of information to call our office at 367-5181.”