A late-night fire caused an estimated $167,000 in damage to the Salem Public Market building on Wednesday, Oct. 21, closing the Saturday market with no timeline for reopening.
Salem Fire Department crews responded to the two-alarm blaze at 1240 Rural Ave. SE and found smoke and flames coming through the building's roof. They knocked down the fire in about 20 minutes, according to the Salem Fire Department's Brian Carrara, as reported by Salem Reporter.
No one was inside the building. No injuries were reported.
Nine fire department vehicles responded to the scene, and the incident was upgraded to a second alarm, bringing additional resources, according to the Statesman Journal. Crews remained on scene to extinguish remaining hot spots.
Carrara said the fire caused an estimated $167,000 in damage. An estimated $334,000 in property value was saved.
The cause remains under investigation.
The market, billed as Oregon's oldest farmers market, has operated at the Rural Avenue location since 1946. The building was constructed in 1951, according to Marion County property records cited by the Statesman Journal.
The market's roots trace to World War II. Salem homemakers drove to farms in Marion and Polk counties for fresh produce to preserve amid wartime rationing, according to the Statesman Journal. A Salem native proposed the market idea to the city council, which approved it, and farmers began selling produce out of their pickups near Marion Square Park. Vendors later moved indoors, building a structure with reclaimed lumber from Camp Adair. The market incorporated as a nonprofit on April 19, 1944.
Sources differ on the market's founding year. The Statesman Journal places it at 1943, while the Oregon Encyclopedia cites 1942.
Residents can check the market's website and social media pages for updates on when it will reopen.
