Electric furnace blamed for King Estate fire
LORANE, Ore. -- An electric furnace ignited the ridge beam that runs across the top of The Red Barn at King Estate Winery, sparking the fire that destroyed the building June 11.
Investigators believe the fire started either with the furnace itself in the attic or with the wires running up to it, said Kristina Deschaine, a deputy state fire marshal.
Deschaine said the fire burned for a while in the ridge beam before vineyard workers noticed the flames at 2 a.m.
"That's a pretty significant piece of lumber," she said.
The explanation fits with what firefighters found that night.
"When we got here, it was so badly consumed inside, it had been burning for a while," said Tom Soward, with the Lorane Rural Fire Protection District.
The blaze destroyed the south wing of the 7,000-square foot building known as The Red Barn, home to the winery's housekeeping and shipping and receiving departments.
No one was hurt in the fire.
