Coos Bay community remembers ‘Far West Fire’ tragedy nearly 19 years later

COOS BAY, Ore. —Coos Bay is remembering a community tragedy as its anniversary approaches.

On the morning of November 25th, 2002, a fire was reported inside the Far West Truck and Auto Supply Store. As firefighters battled the flames, the roof collapsed, killing one firefighter captain along with two volunteer firefighters.

Fire Chief Mark Anderson tells us Thursday it wasn’t just a department tragedy, but a community one.

“Those that were here or those that lived through that time remember where they were during that time and it’s a sobering remembrance of a very dark time, we’re happy that we moved beyond that but we haven’t forgotten it,” said Chief Anderson.

Thanksgiving Day will mark 19 years since the Far West Fire.

Chief Anderson says it’s amazing to see how resilient the community is.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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