Firefighters gather last Thursday in downtown Oakland following a fire at 58 Main St. that housed a business and apartments. A Fire Department official says the cause was likely a faulty power strip. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file
OAKLAND — A faulty power strip was likely the cause of a fire last week at a downtown Oakland building, Fire Chief David Coughlin said Monday.
The fire at 58 Main St., reported just after noon Thursday, began inside The Shop, a retail store on the first floor, Coughlin said. It was contained to that area, with some smoke damage to other parts of the building, including two apartments. No one was hurt.
Krystal Pohorence owns The Shop, which sells a variety of handmade and other items, including jewelry, photographs and plants. Almost all of the merchandise was destroyed in the fire, Pohorence said Monday.
She said she was able to salvage a few tables and plants. Some of her supplies, including her printer and T-shirt press, melted in the fire. A GoFundMe account has been established to help replace some of what Pohorence lost.
Pohorence was at work at Oakland House of Pizza when she learned of the fire. She said she hopes to reopen in some capacity, but knows it will take time and money.
“The Shop will live on,” she said.
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