A veterans’ suicide prevention program, HIV Alliance and medical transportation company are continuing to serve the community after their northeast Salem office building burned down.
A two-alarm fire reported at about 10:30 a.m. July 11 completely destroyed the building at 3886 Beverly Ave. Everyone was evacuated and no injuries were reported.
HIV Alliance, TLC Medical Transport, WestCare Oregon and Iglesia Evangelica de Restauracion were the only tenants in the building, according to Bill Davis, vice president and senior property manager of Pioneer Trust Bank, which owns the building in trust for the Salem Foundation. The Statesman Journal was unable to reach Iglesia Evangelica de Restauracion.
“If anything good came out of the incident it is that no one was injured and the only damage is to property – which, unlike people, is replaceable,” Davis said in an email.
The aftermath of the two-alarm fire that happened July 11 at 3886 Beverly Ave. and destroyed the office building in northeast Salem.
‘We’re still here’
HIV Alliance was closed July 14 but was back up and running the following day, said Amanda McCluskey, senior program manager.
McCluskey said HIV Alliance already rented another space in the same complex and was able to relocate staff into the smaller office at 2475 Lancaster Drive, Building B Suite 2.
She said the agency is continuing to offer all the same services at a reduced capacity.
“We’re still here and we’re still dedicated to serving folks,” McCluskey said.
HIV Alliance is temporarily operating out of an office at 2475 Lancaster Drive Building B Suite 2 following the July 11 fire that destroyed its space.
She said some services are by appointment only. On-site prevention services were paused for the week, but will resume next week.
McCluskey said HIV Alliance has already toured another space in the same complex and is looking to move and return to normal by early August.
Eight people were in the office at the time of the fire and evacuated after one noticed smoke and flames, McCluskey said.
“Everything that we had in that building was destroyed and is no longer usable,” she said.
McCluskey said they plan on making an insurance claim, but there is a financial impact from the loss.
“We’ve really tried to minimize the impact on clients,” she said.
Veteran services operating out of Salem shelter after office fire
WestCare Oregon, which provides veteran services, ran its suicide prevention program from the building and is now operating out of a conference room in the VETcare shelter at 2933 Center Street NE, director Roy McClain said in an email.
The space has 30 beds for male homeless veterans.
The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program at WestCare Oregon provides veterans with case management, peer support, resources and mental health group outings. The program currently serves 65 veterans, McClain said.
“This program is set up to alleviate the stressors in life that may be exacerbating their mental health, negatively,” McClain said.
McClain said the program is still running and will continue to do so.
No clients were onsite during the fire, but seven staff members evacuated from the building, he said.
McClain said they’re looking to temporarily relocate to the former DMV office on Portland Road NE and Silverton Road NE for a few months while they look for a more permanent location.
WestCare Oregon operates its Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention program from the VETcare shelter, located at 2933 Center St. NE, following the July 11 fire that destroyed its space in northeast Salem.
Salem medical transport company lost 2 vehicles in building fire
Jose Soto, owner of TLC Medical Transport, said two transport vans that were modified to accommodate people in wheelchairs were lost in the fire.
The company provides non-emergency medical transportation to help people get to and from their medical appointments.
It is operating out of a secondary office space at 3857 Wolverine St. NE, Building C Suite 2.
Clients are often elderly, don’t have family or can’t drive, and would otherwise not be able to access medical care, Soto said.
“We can’t stop because of something like this,” Soto said.
The company also lost a special stretcher chair used to transport people laying down, he said. That will cost about $7,000 to $8,000 to replace, he said.
Without the vans, they can’t serve as many people, and Soto said he’ll have to adjust his drivers’ hours so he can keep them all working.
Soto said he was in the building with two other employees when the fire started.
“Everything happened super fast, my main concern was to make sure all the other tenants knew,” he said.
Soto said he sent one of his employees to knock on all the other doors to make sure everyone got out.
“When things like this happen you don’t think about grabbing computers,” he said. “Things can be replaced but not human life.”
TLC Medical Transport is temporarily operating out of an office at 3857 Wolverine St. NE Building C Suite 2 following the July 11 fire.
Marion County Health and Human Services closes nearby offices for smoke damage
Marion County Health and Human Services, which operates out of multiple neighboring buildings, has temporarily closed three buildings to address smoke damage.
Offices at 3687 Wolverine St. NE, 3878 Beverly Ave. NE and 3876 Beverly Ave. NE are closed and staff were relocated to other buildings.
“Although the buildings themselves were not burned, we are taking necessary precautions to ensure a safe and healthy environment for staff and the public before reopening,” Marion County Health and Human Services spokesperson Melissa Gable said in an email.
Gable said the agency is working with a professional restoration company to complete air scrubbing and other cleaning to address smoke damage. They hope to have staff return by the end of July.
The offices primarily housed youth and family services, Gable said. The services are still available either at other offices or virtually, depending on client needs, she said.
“We remain committed to providing consistent care and support to the youth and families we serve throughout this transition,” she said.
The aftermath of the two-alarm fire that happened July 11 at 3886 Beverly Ave. and destroyed the building in northeast Salem.
Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem care providers continue serving community after office fire