ASTORIA, Ore. - About 50 firefighters from seven departments battled a fire through the night at an historic cannery building on the waterfront, near the mouth of the Columbia River.


They finally controlled the fire about 6 a.m. Friday, about eight hours after it started, said Tara Constantine, Astoria Fire Department public information officer.

Firefighters were still putting out hot spots as dawn broke. She said it would be a while before investigators could start looking for the cause.

The only injury was to a firefighter who sprained a shoulder, Constantine said.

The fire was reported about 10 p.m. Thursday at the Cannery Cafe. As firefighters were putting it out they saw smoke from the old cannery building next door, Number 10 Sixth Street. It housed a dozen businesses, including a hair salon and real estate agent.

There's no estimate of the dollar loss, but it's likely to be high, Constantine said.

"It's going to be a big thing for out city with the economy," she said. "And these businesses have lost everything."

Both structures are on a dock, which firefighters saved.

Just last week heavy rains caused a large collapse at the site of a former grocery store.

"We've got our own share of bad luck," Constantine said.

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Information from: The Daily Astorian, http://www.dailyastorian.com

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