Date: May 27, 2018
Location: Cottage Grove, Oregon (USA)
Address: 32910 E Saginaw Rd, 97424
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Sawdust
Industry: Wood Products Production
Equipment: Unknown
Company: Whitsell Manufacturing Inc.
Previous Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: $10 million
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
The business does not appear to have its own website. According to Bloomberg, Whitsell Manufacturing Inc. manufactures and markets wood and lumber products, tree stakes, and pallet materials. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Cottage Grove, Oregon.
The West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau lists Whitsell Manufacturing Inc.’s products as boards, dimension stud, resawn boards and lath. Their usual production capacity is listed at 200 mbf/day (200,000 board feet per day) and the main wood species the business works with are Douglas Fir, Larch and Hem-Fir.
The Whitsell Manufacturing Inc page on Manta also lists pallet material, peeler core, dimension lumber from peeler core and agricultural stakes.
Description of Wood Products Plant Fire:
On June 7, 2018, The Register-Guard reported that a fire which occurred at a wood products plant on May 27 had been officially ruled accidental, although South Lane County Fire & Rescue officials said they still did not know exactly what caused the blaze.
The fire broke out at the Whitsell mill in Cottage Grove, Oregon at around 7:30 pm on 27 May and spread quickly, destroying the 190,000-square-foot (15,700-square-meter) mill in 30 minutes.
According to a US News report, the fire spread to stacks of finished lumber products on the site which continued to burn once the main building had been destroyed. Firefighters took a defensive approach and poured water on the nearly 46 acres of log piles through the night. It was reported that a large wood-chip pile on the property continued to smoulder for a number of days.
Several news outlets, including The Seattle Times, reported that the plume of smoke generated by the fire could be seen throughout much of the southern Willamette Valley. The Cottage Grove Sentinel reported a fire chief as saying the fire’s growth was so rapid that he had been “starting a plan to evacuate all the houses on the hillside”. A nearby highway was temporarily closed.
No mill employees were present when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported. An article by KEZI said that damages might cost up to $10 million.
In their June 7 article, The Register-Guard went on to say that photos taken of the mill when firefighters arrived showed smoke billowing from the center of the building. Later pictures show flames erupting from the roof and filling the interior. The South Lane County Fire & Rescue Division Chief said these images helped them to confirm that the fire started in the center of the mill, near offices and a lunchroom.
Fire officials said the mill’s all-wood construction, wood products, the build-up of sawdust, open doors and winds at the time all contributed to the fire quickly grew out of control. The mill had a sprinkler system but it was unable to contain the fire.
Winds blowing through open doors fanned flames until the inside of the building became so hot that sawdust particles ignited a flashover that rapidly engulfed the structure in flames from floor to ceiling.
South Lane County Fire & Rescue was assisted in the investigation by the State Fire Marshals office, Oregon State Police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
In an earlier article on June 1, The Register Guard reported the owner of the wood products plant as saying they were “planning to rebuild,” and that they were keen to get the business up and running again. “A lot of it has to deal with insurance,” he added.
An establishment search showed that Whitsell Manufacturing Inc has several OSHA inspections, one of which related to dust explosion in 2015. The inspection detail shows that no citations were levied for the facility complaint.
Sources:
The Register-Guard (mill fire ruled accidental)
US News
The Seattle Times
Cottage Grove Sentinel
KEZI
The Register-Guard (owner says he will rebuild)
OSHA (search for “Whitsell”)
Bloomberg
West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau
