The fire that destroyed the buildings at 6th street in Astoria took some history as well. John Lansing ,who works for Seaport Airlines these days, used to work in those old waterfront buildings when they served as the world headquarters for Bumblebee Seafood's.
He told me there are a couple of other guys still around who used to work there as well. Most people know that Bumblebee traces it's origin to 1899 and the formation of the CRPA (Columbia River Packers Association)a combination of eight different fish packing companies.
The group was formed to more effectively market salmon for starters and many know that the old cannery at 39th street was also home to CRPA. Lansing told me that the building that housed Gundersons Cannery Cafe was once the base for Bumblebee Alaska Operations. According to the company website the name of the company was changed to Bumblebee to honor a fishing boat by the same name whose captain and crew spent two years at sea hunting for the perfect tuna. Sardines had become all the rage at the time even replacing salmon as a favorite. The Bumblebee, it's said, returned to the Astoria docks with the most beautiful tuna anyone had ever seen. We've been gobbling up albacore ever since.
The boat became famous and the crew adopted yellow life vests with black stripes. You had to earn those stripes to be a member of that crew.
The west side building at 6th street was empty for many years after Bumblebee moved on. Most of it was removed in the renovation that saw the dock turned into a public place and the buildings made suitable for habitation. I'll miss the Cannery Cafe, as will others. The fire displaced many . The Chamber is helping out with relocation. If you have suitable lease space for either temporary or long term you should contact Skip Haukie and get on the list.
When I talked with Fire Chief Hansen he said that firefighters almost ran out of water. Even with a river full within arms reach. The city no long has a fire boat. The old Harry Steinbock was rarely used so it didn't make sense to invest in a new fire boat. As boat owners are well aware the upkeep on even a small boat can tax resources. I wonder though if it would have made a difference in this case?
Maybe it's time to freshen-up old Harry Steinbeck. By the way, wonder where that craft is today after languishing a while at Pier 3haul-out at PofA?
ReplyDeleteAnybody know?
Given the history of fire in Astoria, and that so many commercial properties are on or very near the waterfront, it seems strange to me that a mobile pump system has not been purchased and tested long ago to pump water from the river. You don't need a boat. Many fire departments in other locales have the equipment necessary to utilize nearby water sources such as lakes rivers or ponds when needed and available. There is no question of availability here, so the question is why hasn't it been done? I understand our water pressure began to diminish during this firefight, and with water, water everywhere, it seems like a great question for the Chief to explain. All i read him quoted as saying was sprinklers would have helped. I'm sure they would have, but the fire department was and is well aware of the existence of buildings that do not have sprinklers and those that do. Yet, even if it had had sprinklers, does that mean it wouldn't be a good idea to be able to pump water from an unlimited source? I'm sure such a adjunct system is not uncomplicated, nor are they free, but that's why we have professionals and pay them for their expertise. If this subject has arisen in past fire department meetings, I'd be interested in the written conclusions that surely would be available to study in order to learn why it was considered and rejected.
ReplyDeleteAnother question I have is, what happened when the chorus of smoke alarms started going off? Or was no one within earshot at the time of the fire? Hopefully some of these and many more questions will be answered for public consumption.
I agree with Art. How come the Astoria Fire Department and Chief Hansen did not anticipate a problem and get ahead of it? It can't be that the Fire Department has that many calls to keep the Chief occupied. Most days, the firefighters get plenty of time in the recliners. Could not the firefighters be out inspecting and reporting problems rather than hanging out at the fire house? On top of that, how come the volunteer departments like Warrenton and Knappa were at the fire ahead of the "professional" ones from AFD. Maybe the City Manager should get involved in this rather than staying behind the scenes (or in the new Safeway hole, which, by the way, should he have anticipated?).
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