Three-alarm fire at Capital Baptist Church in Salem under investigation

This story was updated at 1 p.m. Wednesday 

A 3-alarm fire Friday night at Capital Baptist Church is under investigation.

The Salem Fire Department responded to the fire at 3000 Lansing Avenue NE around 9:30 p.m. The fire was primarily in the church's education building, which was not in use at the time.

Crews worked into early Saturday morning putting out the blaze. There were no injuries, said Kyle Amsberry, a battalion chief with the Salem Fire Department. 

A pastor with Capital Baptist Church posted about the fire on a public Facebook page.

The Salem Police Department is assisting with the investigation into the cause of the fire, according to Lt. Treven Upkes, a spokesman with Salem Police. 

"At this time we have deemed it a suspicious fire and have detectives working on the case," Upkes said Wednesday. 

The investigations can take a long time because of their "highly specialized nature" and the "high level of technical requirements for determining origin and causes of fires," he said. 

This story will be updated as more information becomes available. 

Abby Luschei is a reporter for the Statesman Journal and can be reached at aluschei@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6747.