Date: May 24, 2021
Location: International Falls, Minnesota (USA)
Address: 400 2nd Street, 56649
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Paper Dust
Industry: Paper Mill (Pulp and Paper)
Equipment: Paper Machine
Company: Packaging Corporation of America
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its website, Packaging Corporation of America is a packaging products company headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. It was founded in 1959 and has approximately 15,500 employees, most of them in the U.S. The company’s network consists of six containerboard mills, two white paper mills, 95 converting facilities, 10 creative design centers, three fulfillment centers, eight packaging and supply centers, two training and resource centers, and one technical center.
Incident Description:
On May 24, 2021, the International Falls Journal reported a fire at a paper mill in International Falls, Minnesota.
The fire was reported at 5:09 p.m. The International Falls Fire Department responded, with assistance from the Littlefork and Kabetogama Fire Department. Firefighting efforts took five hours, so additional personnel were needed to allow for breaks.
Police officers maintained traffic control to ensure ease of access to the scene during the response period.
According to the International Falls Fire Chief, the fire was apparently caused when a power outage affecting about 4,500 customers caused a hard stop to a paper machine at the mill.
No injuries were reported, although there was some damage done to the paper machine.
OSHA Inspections:
An establishment search turned up three OSHA inspections for Packaging Corporation of America in International Falls, but they were not flagged for combustible dust.
Sources:
International Falls Journal
