Officials determine cause of blaze that destroyed Salmon’s ‘Amish store’

SALMON — A beloved country market known locally as “the Amish store” was destroyed Saturday evening after a fast-moving fire consumed the building southeast of Salmon, and firefighters now know what caused the blaze.

Baker Country Market, a family-run business owned by the Paul Miller family, had served the Lemhi County community since 2015 and was a popular stop for both residents and travelers. The rural store was known for its Amish-style goods, including fresh-baked breads and pastries, homemade butter, bulk foods, jams, pickles, cheeses and other specialty groceries.

The fire was reported around 7:30 p.m. at the market, about nine miles southeast of Salmon along Idaho Highway 28 in the Baker area.

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Mike Warner, chief of the Lemhi County Fire Protection District, said the fire started when embers from a nearby debris burn ignited a stack of pallets next to the building.

“The business owners were burning some old boxes and rubbish not far from the store,” Warner said. “The wind came up, blowing a chunk of hot embers that landed on the pallets, causing the fire spread to the building.”

Although firefighters arrived within about 10 minutes of the initial call, the structure was already engulfed.

Warner said that once flames reached the attic, they spread rapidly through the roofing system, making containment extremely difficult.

“The building completely collapsed while we were on the scene,” he said. “With no fire breaks in the attic, the flames ran the whole length of the building.”

The store was declared a total loss, with damage estimated at roughly $1.2 million. No one was inside at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

“This fire is a shock to a lot of people. The store was very well-liked. It was a great place, and now it’s gone,” Warner said.

Cleanup began quickly, with excavation crews working Monday to haul away debris from the site.

While community members have offered to help coordinate fundraising efforts, the Amish typically maintain a private, low-profile lifestyle, and the owners have asked for time to process what happened, declining assistance for now.

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