Tag Archives: fire

There was a fire in Interfor‘s waste wood piles at its Castlegar sawmill in British Columbia yesterday.

High winds yesterday afternoon caused smoke to cover the Castlegar/Robson area.  Fighting the fire proved difficult due to the winds.  Two helicopter with bucket crews were brought in to assist and the fire was extinguished by midnight.

The cause of the fire is unknown. Fire Chief Gerry Rempel said the fire is not being treated as suspicious.  No one was injured and structures were damaged.

Read more:
Updated: Fire at Interfor extinguished (The Castlegar Source)

A fire yesterday at Domtar‘s Dryden, Ontario mill is under investigation.

The fire was reported between the 4th and 5th floors of the building, burning in the equipment.

“It was product burning, combustible materials inside of the equipment of the machinery on the fourth and fifth floors of the seven story building. It was contained to the equipment and extinguished by the mill fire crews,” Dryden fire chief Ken Kurz said.

The fire was extinguished within 45 minutes.

Read more:
Fire at Domtar (KenoraOnline)

There was a fire this morning at Tembec‘s sawmill in Huntsville, Ontario.

The fire started in the wall behind an electrical panel. Smoke was observed throughout the old mill.

Crews were on the scene for 90 minutes making sure the fire was out and hadn’t spread.

Tembec’s maintenance staff said the mill will be shut down for a week for repairs to the electrical system.

Damage is estimated at $50,000.

Read more:
Fire at Tembec  (Cottage Country Now)

Fire investigators have been unable to come up with the cause of the fire that destroyed the old Tembec planer mill in Cranbrook, British Columbia on November 1.

The fire has been deemed “not suspicious” in nature.

The site has been turned over to Tembec. The company will be securing and cleaning the site.

Tembec closed the sawmill in 1998, and the planer in 2010.  The kiln were permanently shut down in May, 2012.

There is no damage estimate available.  Several pieces of heavy equipment were successfully moved away from the fire, but the planer mill itself was completely destroyed.

Read more:
Tembec fire investigation wraps  (Kootenay News Advertiser)

A fire has destroyed Tembec’s shuttered planer mill in Cranbrook, British Columbia last night.

Firefighters were called to the site around 10pm local time last night.  It was quickly evident they would not be able to save the structure, but instead worked to stop the fire from spreading.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. No one was injured.

Tembec closed the sawmill in 1998, and the planer in 2010.  The kiln were permanently shut down in May, 2012.

Read more:

Fire engulfs Cranbrook sawmill (CTV)
Cranbrook mill destroyed by fire (CBC)
Abandoned Cranbrook sawmill goes up in flames (The Vancouver Sun)

Lakeland Sawmills will soon be restarting its planer mill.

An explosion and fire destroyed Lakeland Sawmill’s sawmill in Prince George, British Columbia in April, but the planer mill suffered only minimal damage. Two people were killed and more than 20 other workers were injured.

At a meeting with employees last night, the company said the planer will restart soon and will operate with remaining inventory. It is not clear what will happen when the current inventory is depleted.

Source:
Lakeland Planer Mill Start-up Announced (CKPG TV)

A fire broke out around 4am on Saturday at the Absolute Lumber Products mill in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

When firefighters arrived on scene, the flames were shooting into the air, and the smoke was so thick it was setting off smoke alarms in apartment buildings several kilometres away.

The firefighters were able to get the fire under control in 45 minutes, and spent many hours on Saturday attacking hot spots.

Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Adams said, “The building itself is probably a writeoff. The actual equipment that they use for doing the millwork is on the outside. We were able to save that. Where they stored their forklifts and office supplies, that’s where the fire was.”

The lumber mill produced over 75,000 boardfeet of pallet cutstock in a day, and employed 12.

It is not yet known what caused the fire.

Read more:
Another B.C. lumber mill engulfed in flames (CTV)
Another mill in B.C. razed by fire (Toronto Sun)
Massive blaze destroys Abbotsford mill (Abbotsford News)
Absolute Lumber Products (Company Website)

The BC Safety Authority (BCSA) has issued a safety order relating to regulated electrical equipment ordering sawmills to verify that they have valid operating permits in place, that proper maintenance procedures are being carried out, and that incidents are being reported as per existing BCSA directives.

This measure is precautionary and part of the BCSA’s ongoing investigation into the recent explosions and resulting fires at two BC sawmills that resulted in fatalities and serious injuries to workers. This safety order supports a directive order issued last week by WorkSafeBC.

Stephen Hinde, Electrical Safety Manager at the BCSA, issued the safety order as a precautionary measure to be acted upon without delay. “Although the investigations into the two recent fatal incidents are ongoing and the causes of those incidents have not been identified, this safety order is aimed at minimizing the risk of fire or explosion related to regulated electrical equipment being a potential combustion or ignition source in wood processing operations.”

Hinde explained further, “Electrical equipment is used throughout sawmills and during normal operation can create heat and electrical sparks. This could act as an ignition source for a fire or explosion, so it’s important that mills ensure they are following the Safety Standards Act.”

While this safety order is specific to owners and operators of sawmills around electrical equipment, other regulated technologies are also still under investigation at Babine Forest Products, including propane and natural gas. The BCSA is not yet prepared to rule out propane or natural gas as either an ignition or fuel source at Babine while the investigation is ongoing.

The investigation related to the Babine incident is currently in the analysis phase with no predetermined end date. A BCSA team is currently supporting the Lakeland investigation, which is in the information gathering stage. In both the Babine Forest Products and Lakeland Mills investigation, WorkSafe BC has taken the lead on site control and incident investigation.

As well as issuing this safety order, the following precautionary measures have been taken by the BCSA since the explosion at Babine in January:

• Beginning in February, gas safety officers with the BCSA conducted assessments of gas operating permits in sawmills and industrial sites across BC. This action was taken to verify valid permits, and check technical elements of the gas equipment. This review did not identify any systemic concerns.
• In early April, electrical safety officers with the BCSA began to conduct a survey of electrical operating permits at a select group of wood processing plants to assess the safety of regulated electrical equipment and the effectiveness of mandated electrical maintenance programs. It is anticipated this work will be complete in May.

Supplementing the general workplace safety measures ordered by WorkSafeBC, the following items are prescribed in the BCSA safety order (the full and complete text can be found at www.safetyauthority.ca under Industry Alerts.) which applies specifically to regulated electrical equipment:

1. Verify that a valid operating permit is in place.
2. Develop a process to report incidents involving electrical equipment or electrical work.
3. Report any incidents that have occurred since Jan.1, 2010 and that have not been previously reported.
4. Verify that the interior of enclosures of electrical motor control centres, power distribution centres, or similar switchgear are clear and free of known or potential combustible or explosive materials such as wood dust.
5. Verify that electrical cabinet doors and access covers for energized electrical equipment are closed and secured.
6. Verify that ventilation systems for electrical equipment enclosures are clean, working properly and installed in accordance with the equipment manufacturer’s instructions.
7. Submit a completed copy of the attached Safety Order Response Form to the BC Safety Authority no later than July 13, 2012.

The BC Safety Authority keeps people safe by promoting the safe installation and use of technical equipment. The Safety Authority also issues permits and licences, educates, and conducts on-site inspections in high-risk situations.

Source: BC Safety Authority

WorkSafeBC provided an update today on its investigation into the explosion and fire at the Babine Forest Products sawmill in Burns Lake on January 20, 2012.

As part of the investigation, WorkSafeBC is looking at the possible fuel sources in the mill. They have ruled out hot oil, hydraulic oil, gear oil, oxygen, and acetylene, stating there is no evidence to suggest they were the fuel source for the explosion.

They are still investigating natural gas, propane, and sawdust as the possible fuel sources.

Read the Investigation Update from WorkSafeBC.

A second man, who had been flown to Edmonton for specialized care, has passed away as a result of the injuries he suffered in the Lakeland Mills explosion and fire in Prince George, British Columbia. He has been identified as Glenn Francis Roche, 46, of Prince George.

The first man who died has been identified as Alan Little of Prince George, 43, who was a shift supervisor.

The Lakeland Mills mill has been owned by Sinclar Group Forest Products since 1973. There was a fire at the mill in February when some sawdust ignited on a halogen light during maintenance. President of Sinclar Group Forest Products, Greg Stewart, said “There is absolutely no reason why we should link these two incidents.”

Some have been wondering if the drier mountain pine beetle killed timber that is being processed by B.C. mills could be what is causing these disastrous explosions and fires. Stewart said the Lakeland Mill has been processing pine-beetle kill since 2003, without previous mishaps.

Sources:
Second worker dies following B.C. sawmill explosion (The Globe and Mail)
Mill supervisor identified as man killed in fire (The Prince George Citizen)