Blue Heron 3-Alarm Fire Probe Leads To Arson, Burglary Conviction

OREGON CITY, OR — Enrique Mejia, a 30 year old from Oregon City, will find out in May how much time he'll be in jail after being convicted of setting the December 5, 2020 fire that badly damaged several buildings at the former site of the Blue Heron Paper Mill. Mejia was arrested that day.

Fire officials said that day a passerby called 911 after seeing "some nefarious activity from a nearby lookout" at the site.

According to court papers, Oregon City Police were first on the scene and as they looked for a suspect, they noticed smoke coming from one of the buildings and it was getting heavier. They called fire department back-up.

As firefighters arrived from Clackamas Fire, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Gladstone Fire, and Canby Fire, police found and arrested Mejia.

About 30 minutes into fighting the growing fire, an emergency order went out to immediately evacuate the building. At that time, there were crews inside the building on the roof.

Battalion Chief Jonathan Schierman said that moments later the southeast corner of the roof collapsed.The entire building had become unstable and was in danger of collapse.

"We came dangerously close to losing multiple firefighters that day," he said.

Clackamas Fire Investigator Rich Stenhouse was at the scene that day and for many days afterward helping lead the probe into what happened.

He would say later that one thing was abundantly clear – the fire would not have happened without a person starting it.

"It has always been rewarding to hold individuals accountable for their actions that endanger the lives of firefighters," Stenhouse said after the verdict was announced.

In addition to being convicted of first- and second-degree arson, Mejia was found guilty of second-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespassing, and second-degree disorderly conduct.