Still No Cause For Oregon Coffee Warehouse Fire

Aug. 13, 2004
After five days of investigating, fire authorities in Southern Oregon still can't conclusively say what caused the blaze that destroyed a Dutch Bros. coffee warehouse Sunday night.
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) --After five days of investigating, fire authorities in Southern Oregon still can't conclusively say what caused the blaze that destroyed a Dutch Bros. coffee warehouse Sunday night.

The only thing they can say definitively is that the fire started in a trash-filled Dumpster next to the building, and spread to a stack of vehicle tires inside the warehouse, according to Kent Romney of the Rural/Metro Fire Department in Josephine County.

Investigators are still looking into whether the blaze, which destroyed thousands of pounds of coffee beans, might have been set on purpose.

Dutch Bros. co-owner Dane Boersma told The Mail Tribune he does not want to assume the fire was started by arsonists.

``I was hoping to get more out of (the investigation),'' Boersma said. ``I don't want to blame anybody for (starting the fire), because I'm not sure what happened.''

Boersma said the fire, which resulted in an estimated $1.5 million loss, was ``a complete disaster.''

Besides coffee beans, five vehicles were destroyed in the fire, along with roasting equipment.

The Grants Pass-based chain owns or franchises 53 coffee shops and stands in Oregon and Northern California.

Related:

Voice Your Opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Firehouse, create an account today!