A family-run business that has been a fixture in Tualatin for more than fifty years has been destroyed by fire. Just after 2:30 a.m. this morning, firefighters responded to reports of smoke and flames at Clark Lumber and True Value Hardware at 8460 SW Nyberg Street. Despite arriving in less than four minutes of being dispatched, firefighters had to fight the fire from the outside due to the heat, intensity and fuel load in the steel frame and concrete building. Based on the construction and metal roof, the building was like an oven as tools, lumber, paints and other contents burned inside.

Crews worked to surround the building to protect neighboring structures and applied water from the ground and elevated truck streams. Bystanders could hear the sound of exploding propane tanks and other pressurized items and smoke billowed from the site for several hours.

The building, which did not have a fire sprinkler system, was not occupied at the time of the fire. It also didn’t have a fire alarm system, though owners were notified when multiple security alarms activated. When a fire sprinkler system is present, the likelihood of injuries and costly damage is dramatically reduced. More information about fire sprinkler systems can be found at: http://www.tvfr.com/index.aspx?nid=144

A team of fire investigators will be working to determine where and how the fire started.