LA GRANDE — Nobody was hurt in a fire at an Oregon Department of Transportation sign shop building in La Grande on Monday, March 29, which caused the structure’s roof, ceiling and garage doors to collapse.

Firefighters had to deal with high winds during the blaze, which was first reported shortly before 11 a.m.

“The wind was quite a factor,” said Emmitt Cornford, chief of the La Grande Fire Department.

The wind accelerated the blaze, but did not spread any embers that endangered nearby buildings or property, Cornford said.

He said firefighters were positioned upwind of the blaze to prevent flames or embers from being blown at them.

Twenty-two firefighters from the La Grande and the La Grande Rural fire departments responded to the blaze. The La Grande Fire Department sent a ladder truck and an engine to the blaze, and La Grande Rural sent two engines.

Fire officials say the blaze was caused by the malfunction of a ceiling heater exhaust system in the building’s attic. Cornford and Deputy State Fire Marshal Casey Kump made this determination after conducting an investigation.