Hillsboro is Oregon’s fifth largest city. It’s not a small place. But as Mayor Steve Callaway will tell you, downtown Hillsboro is special.

Now, that downtown is hurting. A shocking four-alarm fire the first Sunday of the year destroyed eight businesses and displaced 20 more. It wasn’t the only fire of the weekend.

On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, Samantha Swindler talks about the devastating fire in downtown Hillsboro. We talked about the fire, the businesses affected and how the blaze revealed the close knit community that was already there.

[A programming note, we recorded this interview last week before Hillsboro Police arrested a 34-year-old man and charged him with arson and burglary.]

Related reading:

Samantha Swindler's coverage on HereIsOregon.com

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