Date: January 3, 2018
Location: Springfield, New Hampshire (USA)
Address: 231 Fisher Corner Road, 03284
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Wood Dust
Industry: Timber Processing (Wood Products)
Equipment: Unknown
Company: Durgin & Crowell Lumber Company
Previous Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: $5 to $10 million
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Durgin and Crowell Lumber Company was established in 1976 and manufactures kiln-dried eastern white pine lumber, producing about 30 million board feet annually. Its signature product is Enhance™, a line of pre-coated, UV-cured eastern white pine paneling. The company, which employs around 100 people, also produces playground chips made from virgin ground softwoods.
Description of Wood Dust Fire:
On January 4, 2018 the Valley News reported a four-alarm fire at a wood planer mill building in Springfield, New Hampshire. The Fire Chief later stated that the amount of combustibles inside the 230,000-square-foot building complicated the situation: in addition to wood, there were fuel sources like forklifts and tractor-trailer trucks.
Firefighters from about 20 towns responded and took turns battling the flames for more than 12 hours. The fire worked from one end of the building to the other. It was too dangerous to enter, so crews had to fight the fire from the exterior of the building.
There were no reported injuries but town records confirm that the planer mill itself is assessed at $1.8 million.
Previous Incidents:
The Valley News reported that the January 3 fire was the second to affect Durgin & Crowell Lumber Company that week. The day before, the Springfield Fire Department responded to a pellet dryer fire in a different building on the property. The Fire Chief attributed that incident to cold weather, that saying machinery malfunctioned and ignited sawdust.
In 2016 another incident occurred when a conveyor motor caught fire and spread to a belt line and silo.
Sources:
Valley News
Keywords: Wood Dust, Wood Mill, Lumber Company
