Federal investigators looking into Salem strip mall fire
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SALEM, Ore. -- The Salem Fire Department says heavy equipment will remove portions of a collapsed roof Wednesday to help investigators find the cause of a New Year's Eve fire that damaged five businesses in a strip mall.
Federal investigators are looking into the three-alarm fire burned into Tuesday morning at Academy Square, with flames shooting through the roof in places.
Fire crews had to return to the scene overnight Tuesday after flames flared back up.
The department says the fire damaged a tax accountant's office, meat market, nail shop, game shop and paint store.
Workers left the meat market just hours before the fire started.
Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) arrived Wednesday.
Investigators are interested in a video of the fire posted online that includes a conversation that mentions firecrackers, but the authenticity of the video has not been confirmed.
Justin Hiebert said he recognized voices from that video, and saw two men who appeared to be recording video near the fire.
"We were standing right here, and these two individuals were over here," said Hiebert. "And they were standing here with their cell phone and they were taking pictures and recording."
Brittany Green saw the posted video and said she knows whose Facebook page it was on. She believes it's essentially a confession.
"Why would you say 'I didnt mean for any of this to happen' and pretty much admit to throwing a firework if you didn't do it?" She said. "Why would you say 'oh, I didn't mean for this to happen. I just threw a firework as a harmless joke' and not do it? It doesn't make sense."
The video has since been taken down.
No one was injured in the fire.
Crews hope to move heavy equipment into the building Thursday to begin searching for what caused the fire.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
YouTube at its finest huh? I bet they are panicking right about now.
@mikeyb123 I guess we don't need to worry about them trying to be rocket scientists, anyway. First, tossing fireworks into a buisness. Then hanging around (more like skulking) the crime scene watching the firefighters, then posting it on dork-tube with their voice clearly yaking about it. Yup, some real Deliverance babies there! Cue the dueling banjos!
Wow! What a shame! I just didn't think this was a case of something going south, those buildings always seemed well kept! I've been leaning more to arson.. :(Â
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I hope they catch this POS loser..
Thanks to the idiot that submitted the Youtube evidence.
iamtroglodite 1043 pts
@Manic Peddy Who the hell are you to accuse the men and women that fought this fire of having "failed miserably"? Hot spots can smoulder for hours and not be detected untill a flare-up. These people put their lives on the line daily to help and/or save people like you and me.
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iamtroglodite 1043 pts
And, of course, tax money used fighting, REfighting, investigating, wasted!
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Dear Iam: Â Whose side are you on here? Â You have contradicted your own reasoning...right in front
of the whole world !Â
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@CJC You need more coffee this morning.
My first post was about the possible fact that it might have been arsonists, causing "And, of course, tax money used fighting, REfighting, investigating, wasted!"
The one to @Manic Peddy was "@Manic Peddy Who the hell are you to accuse the men and women that fought this fire of having "failed miserably"? Hot spots can smoulder for hours and not be detected untill a flare-up. These people put their lives on the line daily to help and/or save people like you and me."
Two different posts, two different subjects.
iamtroglodite 1043 pts
""And, of course, tax money used fighting, REfighting, investigating, wasted! ""
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First of all, do you even pay ''taxes'' ? Â Â Before making such ridiculously
judgmental comments, I would suggest you educate yourself about fires...
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@CJC Yes I pay taxes; and yes I think it is a waste when tax money is spent on account of intentional fires.
This comment has been deleted
 @Manic Peddy I demand that you learn how to spell...and then, how to have a rational thought.
 @CJC  You have a lot to learn!  Calm down, take a deep breath and . . . Â
Oh, never mind!
@Manic Peddy Who the hell are you to accuse the men and women that fought this fire of having "failed miserably"? Hot spots can smoulder for hours and not be detected untill a flare-up. These people put their lives on the line daily to help and/or save people like you and me.
 @iamtroglodite Don't take Manic Pedophile so seriously!  Manic is a FishBait sock puppet, trolling for suckers.  I'm afraid you swallowed the bait.
 @iamtroglodite  @Gravity Yup,oops,lol! He'll just come back with a new id.. always the same mo..    But it is deliberate to cause hate & discontent!
@Gravity Works! oops.
Bet it started at the paint store. Those chemicals can do lots of damage.Â
"Fire flares back up at Salem strip mall"
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Whoops, Salem fire screwed up.
 @RalphCramden How is this a screw-up, Ralph?  Fire fighters routinely have fire watch crews all night for most structure fires.  For that matter, brush, grass and forest fires, as well.  They know better than you or me that fires will flare up from unlikely sources.
 @Gravity Works!Â
Once they are there they are responsible for any damage after a flare up. Most of the time they leave a crew there till they are sure there isn't a chance for a flare up.
I hope that if they find out it realy was arson they catch the little bi-tches and hang them out to dry. The economy being what it is has small buisnesses hainging by a thread as it is; now these are out for a time, employees don't have a job to go to, and the ripples don't stop there. Clear up to income and property taxes. What a freaken mess!
And, of course, tax money used fighting, REfighting, investigating, wasted!