Fire at Oregon State Capitol Damages Governor's Ceremonial Office

Willamette University students were first to see the fire.

Photo: Oregon State Police

(SALEM, Ore.) - A fire at the Oregon State Capitol damaged a very noticeable section of the Capitol Building early Saturday morning.

Officials say that at about 12:35 AM, at least three calls were received from Willamette University students of a fire on the south side of the State Capitol Building.

According to Salem Fire Department, sixteen apparatus and about 30 firefighters responded to the scene. Two OSP troopers assigned to the Capitol Mall Area Command office responded to assist with scene security while Salem firefighters worked for approximately 30 minutes to control the fire that was confined to the exterior and interior in the area of the Governor's ceremonial office.

Five janitors inside the building were alerted by a fire alarm and safely exited.

There are visible signs of fire damage, as well as smoke and water inside the building on multiple floors.

Crews arrived early in the morning to begin cleaning up water, smoke and ceiling tile damage. There is no damage cost estimate at this time. Those estimate figures will be determined by the building's facility managers.

Fire investigators from Oregon State Police (OSP) Arson & Explosives Section, ATF, and Salem Fire Department are conducting a joint investigation to determine the cause of the fire, which doesn't expect to be announced until after the holiday weekend.

The State Capitol Building was to be closed to public access during the holiday weekend. Clean up crews are working to have the building ready for regular business on Tuesday.