Makeshift stove likely caused fire at former Blue Heron Paper Mill

A makeshift stove likely caused the massive fire that broke out on Jan. 30 at the former Blue Heron Paper Mill in Oregon City, according to officials with the Clackamas Fire District.

Investigators said that homeless people were living inside the vacant building and that people have reported seeing warming fires there.

Fire investigators found makeshift wood-burning stoves and a lot of light, combustible materials inside. The fire likely started on the second floor. Investigators determined it was accidental.

“There was no competent ignition source identified due to the total collapse of the structure,” said Clackamas Fire in a social media post.

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, which purchased the paper mill site in 2019, is still planning to turn the old mill into a mixed-use district. The tribe has hired a demolition company to clear the structures damaged by the fire.