Fire destroys 3 businesses

Between 50 and 60 firefighters were still battling a three-alarm fire late Tuesday night that destroyed at least three businesses along River Avenue in north Eugene.

Flames and plenty of smoke were still clearly visible after 11 p.m., more than two hours after multiple fire departments first responded to the blaze at 745 River Ave.

The eastbound lanes of Randy Papé Beltline, directly north of the fire, were closed for several hours because of heavy smoke drifting over the highway. Motorists were detoured onto River Road.

Businesses consumed in the fire included Line-X, which makes protective coatings for truck bedliners; Canopies Plus, which sells and repairs truck canopies; and Rogers Machinery. The businesses are located on the north side of River Avenue just east of the regional sewage treatment plant.

A hazardous material crew was on the scene because of concerns about chemicals used at Line-X. Another late-night worry was having enough water to beat down the blaze.

“We’re probably going to be here late into the night,” Santa Clara Fire Chief Randy Wood said shortly before 11 p.m. Wood’s department was the lead agency in a fire that also drew crews from the Eugene, Springfield, Junction City, Coburg and Lane Rural fire departments, and possibly others.

The fire was first reported at 8:49 p.m. Smoke continued to pour out of the buildings at 11 p.m., and the hectic scene included dozens of firetrucks and hoses along a stretch of River Avenue, which runs east of River Road just south of Beltline. Firefighters were employing several ladders in an attempt to get as close to the fire as safely possible.

Wood said the origin or cause of the fire was not immediately known but that he suspects it was accidental. There was no evidence of damage to the fencing that surrounded the businesses or other suspicious activity, he said.

Harley Christoffersen, owner of Canopies Plus, said he learned about the fire around 9:30 p.m. in a phone call from the owner of Line-X.

“I have no idea,” Christoffersen said about how the fire might have started. “All I know is, it looks like everything has burned to the ground.”

“I saw them pull some burned cars out of there,” he added, describing the scene when he first arrived.

Christoffersen, watching the scene unfold with a group of others along River Avenue, said his business is insured.