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On A fire on Monday in Monmouth
heavily damaged Real Taste of India
restaurant, which is housed in a
historic building.
No one was injured in the fire,
called in at 10 p.m.
When firefighters arrived, “heavy
smoke and flames were showing from
the front of the building,” at 183
Main St. W, near Western Oregon
University, said Polk County Fire
District No. 1 Division Chief Neal
Olson.
Layers of roofing and a false
ceiling (hung under a main ceiling
to conceal it) hindered fire crews’
efforts to snuff the flames, Olson
said. Firefighters brought the fire
under control at 2:30 a.m. and
extinguished it completely at 2:55
a.m.
The cause of the fire is believed to
have been an electrical or equipment
malfunction, but it has not yet been
determined, Olson said. The fire
ignited in the kitchen. A cost
estimate for the damage is not yet
available, and the business is
insured.
Real Taste of India about a year ago
opened in the historic “Crider’s
Corner” building, once home to
Crider’s Mercantile, Monmouth’s
general store for more than 100
years. The rest of the building is
in decent shape, Olson said.
 The restaurant was not the only
business to incur damage. Petals &
Vines, which shares a wall with Real
Taste of India, had water and smoke
damage. Two doors down, Main Street
Brew Pub & Eatery had water damage.
Petals & Vines’ owners is closed for
now but is looking for an
alternative location until it can
reopen, said Marilyn Morton,
Monmouth-Independence Chamber of
Commerce manager.
Main Street had planned to celebrate
its one-year anniversary of selling
hard alcohol on Tuesday, said Main
Street proprietor Ray Stratton said.
Stratton expects to be “up and
running by Friday, in time for the
Fourth of July weekend.”
The burning business was its own
fiery show.
“They were throwing water on it for
about four hours last night and the
flames barely went down,” Stratton
said.
Firefighters from two agencies, Polk
County Fire District No. 1 and
Dallas Fire Department, banded
together to battle the blaze: 28
firefighters, five engines, one
ladder truck, one rescue vehicle,
three command vehicles and support
vehicles.
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