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CLEAR Temp: 90 °F Wind: NW at 10 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 10, 2003 Matt Lichtenstein, a firefighter from Phoenix, keeps a line on a fire next to a warehouse at Fir and Monroe streets in Medford mid-day Saturday. The blaze kept firefighters busy while police worked to keep onlookers at bay. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Flames shoot from warehouse A dramatic blaze at a Medford warehouse sent a giant plume of smoke and pillar of flame skyward Saturday morning, but destroyed only stacked pallets. Medford Fire Department got a call at 11:07 a.m. reporting a warehouse fire at 763 S. Fir Street, Medford Battalion Chief Dan Petersen said. The first crews arrived in four minutes. "Flames were visible from across the freeway and there was a giant pillar of smoke," he said. Pallets stacked next to a Naumes Inc. cold-storage warehouse burned "like a huge pile of kindling," Medford Battalion Chief Ken Goodson said. The fire raged dramatically for about 20 minutes as firefighters used a ladder truck with a water tower to assault it from the air, Petersen said. Advertisement The department called back off-duty crews to control the blaze and protect the rest of the city. Jackson County Fire District No. 3, Phoenix Fire Department and staff from Jackson County Fire District No. 5 also responded to the fire to help, he said. Seven engines worked at the fire. Mercy Flights ambulances waited on scene, but no one was injured. Medford police and Jackson County sheriff’s deputies closed off streets around the area. Firefighters knocked down the blaze by 11:35 a.m. Most of the damage was limited to the roof and outside of the warehouse, with only minimal damage inside, Goodson said. Crews continued to aim arcing streams of water onto the smoldering piles of burned pallets into the afternoon. Investigators spent the afternoon trying to discover the cause of the blaze, which started in the pallets. Goodson gave a preliminary estimate of $15,000 worth of damage, but said insurance adjusters will survey the scene this week to come up with a more exact estimate. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times