SHC330 by C.M.I.

Surging industry

Digging in Page A2

Page A2

$1.50

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

thechronicleonline.com

Serving Columbia County since 1881

Arson possible in $1.75M building fire JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net ZOE GOTTLIEB chronicle2@countrymedia.net

Columbia River Fire & Rescue (CRFR) investigators are now estimating fire damages to the 300 building in St. Helens at $1.75 million. CRFR Division Chief of Training Jeremy Mendola told The Chronicle that while the cause of the March 12 blaze is still undetermined, arson has not been ruled out and St. Helens Police are now involved in the investigation. “The fire is suspicious and is under active investigation by the St. Helens Police Department.” St. Helens Police Department spokesperson Crystal King told The Chronicle. “Due to the active investigation, we are not releasing additional information at this time.” Mendola said much of the materials stored at the building included cars, furniture and various other items, including what was believed to be ammunition, fireworks, and propane tanks. “We did have some material going off during the fire,” he said. None of the first responders were injured during such explosions, according to Mendola. One firefighter did suffer unrelated injuries during the fire battle and was taken to a Portland hospital for treatment. That firefighter has since been released and continues to recover at home. Nearly all the 34 storage units suffered considerable damage, according to Mendola. “It’s likely that entire building will have to be taken down,” he said. “But that could take some time due

to the multiple insurance companies involved in the investigation.” The property at 777 Port Avenue has been fenced off and closed to the general public since the fire. Firefighting challenges

Firefighters faced difficulties putting out the 300 building blaze, which included concurrent calls for service and created a challenge on staffing, according to CRFR Public Information Officer Jennifer Motherway. “This is one of many reasons we operate with a combination department, meaning we have volunteers who can respond to calls from home to bolster the current staffing levels of the day,” Motherway said. Another challenge was reaching the fire. Firefighters had to use forced entry. At one point, firefighters used a chainsaw to cut through the large metal doors of the storage units. “We had to cut padlocks and force the roll up doors on the building which takes additional time and manpower,” she said. “High combustible storage items in many of the units, with paper products, wood products, clothing as well as hazardous materials such as paints and oils ultimately added fuel to this commercial fire and created a more challenging scene.” Crews remained at the scene throughout Saturday night mopping up and monitoring any additional fire spread. Additional smoke from the fire’s hot spots drifted throughout St. Helens Sunday and Monday, March 13 and 14. According to CRFR, at the time that this particular structure was built, smoke alarms and sprinklers were

See FIRE Page A10

Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle

Yellow caution tape surrounds the fire site as the investigation continues.

Courtesy photo from Chance Masterson

A large column of gray smoke drifted over the building fire.

Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle

Firefighters carefully positioned themselves at the fire scene.

Senior Isolation What color should it be? JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net

Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle

The St. Helens Senior Center is located at 375 S 15th Street.

COVID-19 impacts linger ZOE GOTTLIEB chronicle2@countrymedia.net

When Oregon’s statewide mask mandate lifted on March 14, many were overjoyed, some were sad, and others were vindictive and angry. Some laid the blame squarely at the feet of our government officials; others took to Twitter to voice their frustration. Some couldn’t be bothered. Pandemic restrictions dropped one by one. Business owners traded out their “mask required” signs for “mask optional” ones. For so

Community Calendar A3

Opinion ..................... A4 Poll ............................ A4 Obituaries ................. A5 Classified Ads ......... A6 Legals ....................... A7 Crossword ............... A8 Sports ..................... A10

many, life seemed to move on. But there are still those among us for whom life has not returned to normal, who routinely contend with loneliness, isolation, and fear. In her March 16 semiannual report presented to the St. Helens City Council, St. Helens Senior Center Director Kathy Innocenti painted a complicated picture of how the center is faring under what is supposed to be Oregon’s COVID-19 resiliency phase. “Attendance was really exciting at first, then it started diminishing a little,” she said. “We heard from some people that their adult children were telling (seniors), ‘Don’t go out,’” she said. “I think there’s still some hesitancy (there).” While congregate meals have resumed, Innocenti told the council that the senior center, classified as a health center by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), must comply with social distancing guidelines or risk losing key

See ISOLATION Page A8

2022 Columbia County

The iconic Scappoose Peace Candle remains standing proud and true, weathering surrounding building demolition and the construction of a new apartment complex at its site along Highway 30. Rehabilitating the Peace Candle has been a Scappoose City Council goal since 2015, according to a release from the City of Scappoose. “Over the last year an opportunity to protect and rehabilitate the Peace Candle has arisen,” the release states, adding that the developer and owner of the land surrounding the Peace Candle sits on have agreed to work with the City of Scappoose to protect the Candle. The Peace Candle renovations will include a new coat of paint. According to the city, the Candle historically was covered in real wax. The wax proved unsustainable, the wax was removed, and the silo was painted, according to the release. The Peace Candle has been through a number of colors over its lifetime. The original color when the Candle was first constructed was closer to off-white, the color of natural candle wax. At one point the Candle was painted yellow which lasted through the early to mid 1990s, and was later painted red, the color it is today. The City of Scappoose is seeking input on which paint color the community prefers. The off-white color would allow for the future installation of LED ambiance lighting to project color onto the Candle, similar to the fountain sculpture in Heritage Park at night. The flame assembly at the top of the Candle will not be chang-

Kelli Nicholson / The Chronicle

The Peace Candle standing proud following surrounding building demolition to make room for an apartment complex.

History Work to clear the surrounding area at the Peace Candle site for an 80-unit apartment complex began in late 2020. Portland development company, WDC Properties, purchased the property in 2019. The developer said the ecofriendly designed rental housing units will be in two buildings with

Saturday only!

Free Shred Day April 23, 10-1

Vol. 140, No. 13

parking for the residents and also for visitors to the Peace Candle. The new 80-unit apartment project, called Candlelight Apartments, is expected to open in the Fall of 2022. “The candle will remain a shining light and reminder to everyone that there is hope for world peace,” WDC Properties founder and CEO, Mark Madden said.

ing, according to city officials.