Mail Tribune News - No leads in timber office fire

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No leads in timber office fire Police say no strong leads have turned up in an investigation into the arson fire that destroyed a Medford timber office last month and caused more than a half million dollars damage. Medford Detective Steve Edson said on Monday that police are still tracking down phone tips in the December blaze that destroyed the business offices of U.S. Forest Industries at 2611 Whittle Ave. "We're just kind of running out of leads at this point," Edson said "There's not a lot to do." He said that detectives are also waiting for evidence -- including a possible accelerant -- to be processed by the Oregon State Police crime lab. Forest Industries president Jerry Bramwell said on Monday that no decision has been made on how the company will replace its burnt-out office. The fire began just before 1 a.m. on Dec. 27 at the two-story business office, which is near Crater Lake Highway in northeast Medford. More than 50 firefighters fought the blaze. No one was injured in the fire, but the building was declared a total loss, with the structure valued at about $300,000 and the contents at about $200,000. The company was insured. The office served as headquarters for U.S. Timber Industries' four mills -- the White City veneer mill, a Grants Pass plywood mill, a stud mill in Colorado and a sawmill in Florida. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call Edson at 774-2233. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA