Early morning fire destroys Cedar Shop

Fire still under investigation

By Evan Jensen

The Estacada News, Jan 20, 2010, Updated Jan 27, 2010

Submitted photo / Estacada News

Left, a fire ravages the Cedar Shop in Eagle Creek early Wednesday morning. Right, Owner Warren Mitchell, far right, surveys his ruined business, which had operated at the location for the past 20 years.

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Last month, Christmas trees and mistletoe lined the exterior of the Cedar Shop, at the corner of Highway 211 and Highway 224 in Eagle Creek. And when the weather was good, owner Warren Mitchell would showcase his handiwork for sale, featuring cedar-made windmills, gazebos, bird houses, planters and other items made in the shop.

After 20 years in the same location, the Cedar Shop has become a landmark that hundreds of drivers pass every day. But it all came crashing down early Wednesday morning when a fire destroyed the business.

The Boring Fire Department received a 911 call around 1:48 a.m. on Wednesday morning. When they arrived, the Cedar Shop’s metal building was engulfed in flames, with Mitchell’s cedar masterpieces only intensifying the blaze. Lacking easy access to a fire hydrant, firefighters shuttled water from a hydrant near Eagle Foundry to battle the blaze. It took nearly three hours to extinguish the conflagration, and by 10 a.m., Wednesday, firefighters were still putting out hot spots.

“The fire was still going pretty good when I got here about 2:30 a.m.,” Mitchell said. “I’ve leased this place all these years, but I’m not going to rebuild. It’s quite a mess. It wiped everything out: the cedar items, our tools and a lot of parts we had in the building.”

Shortly after Mitchell arrived, he watched firefighters pull down the metal roof and siding to keep the structure from crashing down and creating a bigger problem. Flares illuminated the darkness as firefighters battled the inferno and Highway 211 was closed temporarily until the fire was under control.

Boring, Sandy and Estacada fire departments responded to the scene and deputies from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office were there shortly after the fire was reported. As fire investigators were combing through the debris on Wednesday morning, many of Mitchell’s friends driving by on Highway 211 stopped by out of concern as they passed the scene. Only remnants of the former shop were visible, such as a set of clay-fired pots shaped like jack-o-lanterns and a wooden sign that says, “Cedar Goodies” that somehow survived the flames.

“There were a lot of cedar-made items inside for your garden and yard like small tables and other things made in the woodshop,” Boring Fire Lt. Pat Bigelow said. “There was a pretty big fuel load with the way all those items were stacked, and that made it harder to put out the fire. … It took us about three hours to put the fire out. … Fortunately, it was not occupied at the time of the fire.”

A long time Estacada resident, Mitchell said he’s had many repeat customers at the Cedar Shop in two decades, with regulars returning from Washington and even Canada to see his latest creations. He’s also regularly donated some of his cedar masterpieces to support auction fundraisers for Eagle Creek Elementary School and the Estacada High School football team.

Bigelow said that fire investigators will continue to comb through the debris to identify the cause of the fire, and expect to wrap up the investigation on Thursday.