DECEMBER 13, 2012 n SEASIDESIGNAL.COM
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YEAR 108 | WEEK 45
SEASIDE, OREGON | 75 CENTS
‘Salmon Museum’ only survivor after fire destroys land conservancy office By Sayde Moser
BRINGING TOYS TO KIDS
S
HS student collected more than 100 toys for underprivileged children this holiday season Page 8 SPORTS
BOYS BOUNCE BACK
smoser@countrymedia.net
An original piece of artwork that was handcrafted by a local artist was the only thing to make it out of the fire in the North Coast Land Conservancy office on Dec. 5. The piece, called the Salmon Museum, was crafted in 1983 and was being stored at the NCLC office at 32825 Rippet Ln. It was developed by Ron Pittard as part of an educational program being run by the county. Its caretaker for the last 20 years, Neal Maine, said it is public domain property kept through a federal grant. It travels around locally and appears at different events and programs.
The fire at 32825 Rippit Ln which was discovered the morning of Dec. 5 has been turned over to the police department to determine a cause.
See SALMON MUSEUM, page 5 The only survivor in a fire last week is a traveling exhibit depicting local salmon life.
Sifting through the aftermath
T
he boys basketball team pulled it together for back to back wins against Warrenton and Knappa Page 10 INDEX Classifieds................ 6 Calendar................... 7 Crossword................ 6 Hocus Focus............. 6 Police Blotter............ 3 Sudoku..................... 6 Sports..................... 10 Viewpoints................ 4
W E AT H E R Thursday Partly cloudy High: 49 Low: 43 Friday Showers High: 48 Low: 36 Saturday Showers High: 49 Low: 44 Sunday Showers High: 48 Low: 44 Monday Showers High: 49 Low: 43 Tuesday Showers High: 48 Low:41
Last week’s fire at the North Coast Land Conservancy Office, 32825 Rippit Ln.
Seaside Division Chief Chris Dugan explains how to find a cause after a fire By Sayde Moser
smoser@countrymedia.net
A fire starts overnight. By the time it’s noticed, the house is completely engulfed in flames. When fire crews get there, they work quickly and efficiently to put the fire out. But once the fire has been stopped, the work isn’t over. State
law requires every fire be investigated to determine what caused it. But when you are left with a charred up pile of boards, how do you even begin to determine what caused that fire, and where? “We compile all the indicators through physical evidence and interviews,” said Chris Dugan, the Division Chief for Seaside Fire Department and a member of the Clatsop County Fire Investigation Team. The investigation starts as
See AFTERMATH, page 5
Division Fire Chief Chris Dugan
Wednesday Showers High: 47 Low: 42
Seaside Police lead investigation into recent area fires Three fires in the spans of 12 hours last week caused grave concern for the Seaside Fire Department, which has handed the investigation of two of the fires over to the Seaside Police Department. “Any time a fire is of a suspicious nature, law enforcement takes over to determine if it was arson, or another unusual cause that’s not arson,” said Police Chief Bob Gross. The two fires were discovered only hours apart. The first was located at 2080 N. Roosevelt, where a vehicle had caught fire Dec. 4 around 9 p.m. Then early the next morning, another fire at 32825 Rippit Lane was reported. The former four-bedroom farm house served as the office for the North Coast Land Conservancy. “There is some history with where the vehicle fire was discovered,” said Chris Dugan, Division Chief for Seaside Fire Department and a member of the Clatsop County Fire Investigation Team. “So when I heard of that one, I immediately informed the police department.” Two previous fires in October at that same location were found to be intentionally set. Dugan would not comment on whether this most recent fire, or the one at the NCLC office, were intentionally set or related in any way. “You have to go into an investigation with a very open mind that it could be anything,” he said. Dugan said he involved the police department right away in the investigations, because having three fires such in a short amount of time was suspicious in itself.
See INVESTIGATION, page 5
RECORD BREAKING YEAR See page 5 for more photos
Bill Thomas recalls his experience at Pearl Harbor, using a picture that was taken by a Japanese pilot during the attack.
Community paid their respects to those who fought at Pearl Harbor Pointing at an enlarged photo of Pearl Harbor, that was taken by a Japanese pilot on Dec. 7, Bill Thomas of Seaside can still remember the
events that followed with perfect clarity. He can even recall the face of one of the pilots as it flew into the harbor. “He had a brown, round
face and a big ole’ smile,” he recalls. “And all gold teeth.” Thomas was in his 20s at
See PEARL HARBOR, page 9
The Providence Seaside Festival of Trees raised just over $101,000 last weekend, well exceeding their goal of $75,000. “It was just incredible,” said Sydney Van Dusen, the director for Providence Seaside Hospital Foundation. “We had great participation and really beautiful trees this year.” A total of 300 guests participating in the gala and auction, filling 30 tables. The special call for the Telemedicine Fund raised $22,000, which was enough to purchase the equipment needed. Van Dusen said that program, which will bring specialists to the North Coast through a virtual clinic, should be up and running by the second quarter of next year. The Mr. Fix it Tree, which included a brand new nail gun, drill set, shop vacuum, chain saw and more, was the highest auctioned off tree at $4,100, well above its estimated value of $2,675. Second in line was a trip to Hawaii, donated by Councilor Tim Tolan. Other trees included a beer tree, with donated beer, gift certificates and swag from local breweries and a wine terrace tree. Twenty five trees in total were all decorated and donated to support the cause. “We can’t thank the community enough for all they’ve done,” Van Dusen said. “When you see a community pull together like this, it’s really incredible.”