Oregon Public Broadcasting

A fire consumed the U.S. Forest Service building in Enterprise over the weekend. No one was injured in the blaze.  But as David Nogueras reports, the fire destroyed nearly three-quarters of the 20,000 square foot structure.

The call came in to firefighters late Sunday afternoon that the 20-year-old log building on the bluffs of Enterprise was engulfed in flames.

The crews battled the blaze into the night but as daylight broke the cause of the fire remained a mystery. An investigation is now underway. 

Judy Wing is a spokeswoman for the Wallowa Whitman National Forest.  She says the building housed three forest service districts, offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a visitor's center popular with tourists.

Judy Wing: "The visitor's center was quite unique.  It had a really large ponderosa pine that was a focal point of the visitor's center and it's still standing.  Somebody told me it looked like a candle last night and they were surprised that it was still standing this morning."

About 90 employees either worked or had offices in the building.  Wing says Forest Service is exploring options for temporary office space.