Mattress World Northwest suffers thousands in losses after Northeast Salem strip mall fire

Right about now, Sean Hathaway is thankful for fire insurance.

Hathaway, owner of Portland-based mattress retailer Mattress World Northwest, estimates his company's Northeast Salem location suffered more than $100,000 in damages after a fire ripped through the rafters, though the actual figure has yet to be determined.

Firefighters with Marion County Fire District #1 and other area fire officials responded early Saturday morning to a second-alarm commercial fire at the strip mall on the corner of Lancaster Drive NE and Auburn Road NE.

It took about three hours for firefighters to bring the blaze, which was burning in the roof-truss system, under control, according to Marion County Fire District #1. Because they couldn't initially find it, firefighters also had to cut vent and inspection holes in the ceiling in order to isolate the fire and put it out.

Fire Mashal Paula Smith said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, though she confirmed it started outside. Battalion Chief Mark Bjorklund earlier called it a "suspicious fire."

The store was a complete mess afterward, with ash spread across the showroom and large holes cut out of the ceiling during the firefighter response. The mattresses can't be sold, Hathaway said.

Some of the building damage came as part of the firefighters' response. Still, "I'm not complaining," Hathaway said.

As it stands, employees of the Lancaster Drive NE location can't provide services to customers until Mattress World Northwest reopens in a new location or the damage is fixed.

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Hathaway said company representatives are working with the landlord on opening in a separate, vacant location in the mall, but he didn't have a time frame on when that could happen.

Mattress World Northwest operates a second Salem store at 5109 Commercial St. SE.

Email jbach@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6714 or follow on Twitter @jonathanmbach.

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