On December 30th at 3:57 am, the Coos Bay Fire Department responded to the report of a structure fire at 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue which is located in the Englewood area of Coos Bay. This is the old Englewood School which is now owned by a private party. The first arriving firefighters found heavy smoke and fire coming from the structure on the south end of the building near the attic and second story. The occupant of the building was sleeping in a motor home next to the structure at the time of the fire, and a neighbor alerted him to the fire and called 911. The building was occupied by Sean Sullivan and owned by Bob Moffit. The entire structure suffered heavy fire, smoke, water, and heat damage. Nearly 50 firefighters from Coos Bay, North Bend, Charleston, North Bay, Millington, Hauser, and Lakeside, and they worked for nearly 12 hours to extinguish the fire. The Coos Bay Fire Department was also assisted on scene by the Coos Bay Police Department, Coos Bay Streets Department, Bay Cities Ambulance, Office of State Fire Marshal, and the Oregon State Police. Citizens, local businesses, and the Salvation Army also assisted by providing food and drinks for the firefighters. An investigation into the cause of the fire is being conducted by the Coos Bay Fire Department, Coos Bay Police Department, Office of State Fire Marshal, and the Oregon State Police. The investigation is on-going and the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. The Coos Bay Fire Department estimates the fire damage to the structure to be $250,000.00 and $20,000.00 to the occupant’s contents. The owner of the structure has insurance on the building. No injuries were reported. If you need additional information about this incident, please contact Battalion Chief Dan Crutchfield or Fire Chief Mark Anderson at 541-269-1191.
