Photo: Ford, Brad
On Tuesday, June 27th 2023 at approximately 1:30a.m., Clackamas Fire District Crews responded to a fire alarm at the Wilco Farm Store on Molalla Avenue in Oregon City. Crews arrived to find a smoldering fire in the piles of baled hay and straw next to the warehouse loading area.
Firefighters observed the fire sprinkler system had activated and helped control the fire, and once on scene, firefighters were able to completely extinguish the threat.
Clackamas Fire District investigators, after determining there were no existing sources of ignition, turned to the store manager for video footage caught by the on-site security cameras, which told the entire story. A suspect had gone out of their way to ignite the pile of straw. The suspect remained on scene to watch the flames grow and then disappeared.
The Oregon City Police Department is asking anyone with information about this incident or know the whereabouts of the suspect to contact their Tip Line at (503) 905-3505.
Source: Clackamas Fire District