NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:  Storm Smith, Community Liaison
August 31, 2000 (503) 612-7013

(Two Alarm Blaze Destroys Tualatin Business)

A two-alarm fire in an industrial park destroyed a Tualatin manufacturing business early Thursday morning. Units from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue were dispatched at 1:49 a.m. to 7015 S.W. McEwan Road. The first arriving unit saw flames thirty feet above the roof of the building occupied by Easybar Beverage Management System. Two minor explosions occurred as firefighters began attacking the fire. Those explosions were later determined to have been carbon dioxide and propane cylinders exploding from the heat.

A second alarm was sounded at 2:04 a.m. to summon additional resources. Eight Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue engines and two from Lake Oswego Fire Department worked with two truck companies to battle the blaze for well over an hour before bringing it under control. The building and contents are valued at more than one million dollars and are considered a total loss.

Two other businesses adjacent to the fire were slightly damaged. Mecta Manufacturing, which produces medical electronic components, received some smoke and water damage. And Dick Barless Auto Service had some light smoke and heat damage. The auto repair firm had several customers' cars inside the shop at the time. Firefighters were able to find the keys and drive all out of the shop before they were damaged.

Fire investigators are at the scene. However, due to the uncertain structural integrity of the building's walls, investigators won't begin digging through the rubble to determine a cause until engineers can determine whether it is safe for the investigators to enter.

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