The Lakeland Mills sawmill in Prince George, British Columbia was destroyed by an explosion and subsequent fire last night.

The first explosion occurred around 9:45pm and shook houses up to 2 kilometres away. Within moments a huge fire engulfed the sawmill. A second explosion followed.

50 people were on-shift at the time of the explosion, and 25 of them were working in the sawmill portion of the mill. 23 of these employees have been injured. 7 people are in critical condition, 5 are in serious condition, 11 have minor injuries. A Code Orange was declared to mobilize resources.

After the explosion, 5 people that were working at the time of the explosion were reported missing, but all have been accounted for now.

The firefighters have been able to spare the planer mill, but the sawmill is completely destroyed.

Prince George Fire Rescuee Chief John Lane says it will be about 24 hours before the still-burning sawmill has been brought under control. At that time, Lanes says, “We are hoping to begin to try and determine what the cause of the blaze was.”

Read more:
Five from fire unaccounted for (Prince George Citizen)
Downtown rocked by mill blast (Prince George Citizen)
Explosions, fire hits Prince George sawmill (CBC)
Huge explosion at Lakeland Mills sawmill in Prince George (with photos) (The Vancouver Sun)
Worker describes gruesome scene at B.C. sawmill after massive explosion (Globe and Mail)