Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
An arson fire destroyed a storage building in the Foster area early Friday morning.
Firefighters responded to the fire at 5481 Highway 20 at 4:27 a.m. Sweet Home Police Department is investigating the fire as an arson.
“You have a long-abandoned, boarded-up and secured building with no utility services whatsoever,” Police Chief Bob Burford said. “A fire starting on the inside certainly leads to the conclusion of arson.”
Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District responded with three engines, four support vehicles and 18 firefighters.
On arrival, firefighters found the building fully involved.
Jerry Kittson has owned the building since 1969 and was using it for storage, he said.
It had old equipment and antiques in it. The building was not insured and had been tied up in litigation for several years. Just two days prior to the fire, he had authorization to go ahead and sell the building, valued at $6,000. The contents were valued at $5,000.
The building was a tavern for years, Kittson said. Among other uses, it was a barber shop, and hosted a boxing club for a year or two.
Kittson said the fire was “definitely arson,” and he has been working with Sweet Home police on the investigation.
The fire started inside in the southeast corner of the building, Kittson said.
No injuries were reported.