The Salem Fire Department is still investigating what started a fire Monday evening at a car dealership on Northeast Market Street.
Nineteen fire units responded to the fire at a Nissan dealership, including 11 engines and two ladder trucks.
The fire was under control by 7 p.m. Monday, according to Brian Carrara, deputy administrative chief for Salem Fire Department.
Firefighters responded around 4:44 p.m. to a call of smoke coming from the back of a business in the 2900 block of Northeast Market Street.
Carrara said fire crews arrived and saw flames coming from the right corner of the building.
They then got the water supply ready and quickly began attacking the fire from the outside. As they did, the fire grew.
“It just took off,” Carrara said.
Firefighters were in defensive mode as of 5:20 p.m., meaning they were working to stop the fire from getting worse.
“They stayed defensive because the fire was too dangerous for crews to go inside,” he said. “It took a while for them to get it under control.”
No injuries or victims were reported, he said. Carrara said Tuesday he didn’t have an estimate of the damage.
Efforts to reach the dealership’s owner Tuesday were unsuccessful.
The fire sent heavy black smoke into the sky that was visible across Salem and shut down Market Street from Northeast Lansing to Northeast Park avenues.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
