A small fire at an Oregon pet store was quickly extinguished Wednesday morning.
Deputy Chief Jim Wolfe II of the Oregon Fire Department said on scene that the small animals inside Pet Finatics in the 3100 block of Navarre Avenue appeared unharmed and were being tended to by the shop’s owner and staff. Crews were dispatched just before 9 a.m. after a passer-by reported smoke.
Crews arrived shortly after to find a small active fire, though the building was full of smoke and visibility was limited. Firefighters moved the animals, mostly small mammals and reptiles, away from the smoke.
“We moved them to an area of suitable atmosphere,” Chief Wolfe said.
The store owner was not available for comment.
No one was inside the store at the time of the fire and there were no reported injuries, Chief Wolfe added. He declined to specify where in the building the fire occurred, saying the incident remains under investigation and a cause has not been officially determined.
An Oregon dispatcher said crews believed the fire to be electrical in nature. Officials said the adjacent Sprint store was ventilated of some light smoke, but none of the neighboring businesses were otherwise affected.
Firefighters removed a few bags of ruined pet food and shoveled out a few scoops of what appeared to be charred and wet dog kibble.
Chief Wolfe said damage inside the store was contained to a relatively small area around the fire and whatever may have been affected by the smoke.
“They’ll be closed for a little while for cleanup,” he said.
Staff writer Sarah Elms contributed to this report.
First Published November 27, 2019, 2:45 p.m.
