According to news reports, a forklift operator backed into a gas line in the warehouse, which was owned by the Kable News Company, a fulfillment company that provides subscription services for magazines such as Alpinist. The forklift punctured a gas line; the escaping gas was then ignited by a nearby space heater. The warehouseâ??s twenty employees escaped without injury, but by the time the 200-plus firefighters arrived from twenty area fire departments to combat the blaze, there was little they could do but let the two-story building burn to the ground.

Rockford, Illinoisâ??, WREX-TV reported Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller as saying that the building was essentially â??a box of timber.â? â??And we’re still trying to figure out why the sprinkler system was shut off in this building,” Heller, who estimated the damage at as much as $8 million, was quoted as saying.

The magazine plans to continue operating as usual as the fire will not affect current subscribers and future publication.

If you’re looking for Christmas presents for the climber in your life this year, now may be the time for a subscription.

The post More details on fire at Alpinist Magazine first appeared on All Climbing.