NEWBERG, Ore. — The fire that damaged the front of Krohn’s Appliance Service inside Hulet Plaza on the night of Aug. 8 came within minutes of spreading into the main body of the building and toward neighboring businesses, according to Krohn’s owner Brian Love.
No injuries were reported. A caller reported seeing fire and smoke in the eaves of the commercial building in the 2200 block of East Portland Road at 9:31 p.m. Saturday, according to Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue Public Information Officer Corinne Haning.
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As the incident commander arrived and saw visible smoke, the call was upgraded to bring additional units to the scene, Haning said. Firefighters from Engine 20 arrived within five minutes and began extinguishing the fire, while firefighters from Truck 21 searched the building and confirmed no one was inside, Haning said. With assistance from Dundee Fire, crews brought the fire under control within 24 minutes of the first units arriving, according to Haning.
The most probable cause was an electrical fault that started in the roofline within a concealed storefront awning, Haning said. TVF&R thanked Dundee Fire and Newberg-Dundee Police for their assistance at the scene.
“Thank you again to the men & women who rushed to get the fire out that night, including moving our appliances to avoid damaging them,” wrote Love’s daughter and longtime Krohn’s employee Laura Reese in an Aug. 11 Facebook post. “Especially to the good Samaritan who called the fire in – without your quick action, this could have been a much more devastating outcome for us and our neighboring businesses.”
A former Newberg volunteer firefighter, Love said he reviewed footage from the store’s exterior security cameras after the fire and watched the blaze develop in real time. The fire appeared to build in the soffit, the space between the ceiling of the storefront and the roof. The cameras recorded a first puff of smoke at 9:16 p.m., a second at 9:30 p.m., and a reflective flicker at 9:33 p.m. that grew into a visible glow reflected off passing traffic on the highway.
“It was minutes away from being at a point where it was going to flash over into the main part of the building,” Love said.
Love said the fire smoldered out of sight for some time before becoming visible, and that a driver passing on the highway noticed the glow, pulled into the parking lot, and called 911.
Because the building has open soffit space connecting units, Love said smoke traveled through the shared space, but the flames did not.
The business has continued to post updates to Facebook. In an Aug. 10 post, Reese said the front of the building sustained heavy damage requiring extensive repairs, though damage to computers, desks, parts, and appliance inventory was minimal aside from smoke.
The storefront is closed to walk-in customers until further notice, Reese said. The business plans to continue operating, including appliance repair service, furnace duct and dryer vent cleaning, and sales of new appliances from Speed Queen, Frigidaire, and Electrolux, as well as refurbished washers, dryers, and refrigerators. Customers can reach the business at 503-538-3613 or through krohnsappliance.com.
Love said community members have offered to help, but that insurance will cover most of the recovery costs. After hearing from the community looking for ways to support, Love and Reese posted a suggestion: shop locally instead of at large retail corporations.
“When you choose to shop local, you are supporting more than just the owner,” Reese wrote. “You’re supporting the growing families of their employees keeping that money within the community, you’re supporting the local youth groups and youth sports that they sponsor, you’re supporting the local festivals and fundraisers they sponsor every year, you’re supporting the many charities they give back to that helps their community, you’re supporting the other small businesses they choose to use over the larger chains, you’re even keeping the taxes local to benefit your community.”
Krohn’s traces its roots to 1947, when it was founded in Newberg by the Krohn family, according to the company’s website. Carl Freeman, who later became Love’s stepfather, purchased the business in the 1970s and renamed it Krohn’s Appliance Center. Love purchased the business from Freeman in August 2001 and has operated it from its current location on Portland Road since 2007.
Disclosure: Krohn’s Appliance Service is an advertiser with Newsberg.
