By Joe Happ

Headlight-Herald Staff

TILLAMOOK — A two-alarm blaze, the second arson fire in the city in a week, struck Bell's Office Supply store in the 200 block of Main Avenue early Tuesday, inflicting heavy damage on the landmark downtown business.

Within hours of the fire, police arrested a suspect and charged him in connection with the fire.

Tillamook Police Chief Terry Wright identified the suspect as Edward Rust, 35.

Wright said Rust suffered some cuts at the scene of the blaze and called friends for help. Wright said he happened to see Rust in a car downtown as firefighters battled the blaze and he sent police units in pursuit.

Wright said Rust was treated for his cuts after the arrest.

Shortly after 11 a.m., Wright said no other charges had been lodged against Rust. He said Rust lives on Gienger Road, just south of Tillamook.

Wright said investigators found "a ton of evidence at the scene of the blaze, including a trail of blood" that was found on the sidewalk leading away from the store.

The first alarm was struck around 4:30 a.m., exactly a week after another arson fire damaged St. Alban's Episcopal Church at Sixth and Pacific.

Tillamook Fire District Chief Rick Adams said that, when the first firefighters arrived on the scene, fire and a 200-foot plume of smoke were visible at the rear of the building.

All units from the Tillamook Fire District responded, as well as units from the Bay City and Netarts fire districts. A Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District engine from Beaver was dispatched for standby duty in Pleasant Valley, Adams said.

"It only took about 10 minutes to knock down the fire," Adams said. "They're testing our abilities," the chief said, remarking on the similarities between this fire and last week's blaze at St. Alban's.

Adams said it appeared that the store had been ransacked before the blaze was started and that interior damage appeared to be considerable. An office at the church also had been rifled and files had been dumped on the floor.

"This fire was more heavily involved than the one at the church," Adams noted.

He said it burned hotter and required firefighters to enter the building from the front and the back.

"We had to get our people inside. They took a beating this morning; they're tired."

Damage appeared to be confined to the office supply store, which is located in the middle of the block. The 100- by 25-foot store has a second-floor loft at the rear and a basement.

The 200 block of Main Avenue, which is the southbound couplet of U.S. Highway 101 through the downtown area, was barricaded and traffic was diverted to other streets for part of the morning as police and fire officials continued their investigation. By mid-morning, one lane had been reopened.

The store's co-owner, Mary Hanthorn arrived on the scene shortly before 6 a.m. and conferred with fire officials.

Hanthorn and her husband, Scott Campbell, bought the business two years ago from longtime owners Ken and Barbara Bell.

Bell's has been a fixture on Main Avenue for the last 20 years. The Bells had operated the store at two different locations on Third Street before moving to its current location.