Date: July 13, 2018
Location: Tappen, British Columbia (Canada)
Address: Tappen Station Road, V0X 2X1
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Sawdust
Industry: Timber Processing (Wood Products)
Equipment: Silo
Company: Al-Mar Custom Sawmill Ltd
Previous Incidents: None Reported
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its listing on AllBiz, Al-Mar Custom Sawmill Ltd was established in 1998 and has 15 employees. It is a sawmill that processes timber for a variety of uses. Other than these basic business details, little else could be determined.
Description of Sawdust Fire:
On July 14, 2018, Kamloops This Week reported a fire at a sawmill in the settlement of Tappen, British Columbia. Tappen-Sunnybrae Fire Department responded quickly when the call came in at around 7:30 p.m. and called for assistance from the White Lake and Shuswap fire departments. Crews from the BC Wildfire Service and BC Ambulance and CP Rail representatives also responded.
When fire crews arrived, they found some hydraulic equipment and conveyor belts on fire, along with the sawdust pile. With the high winds and flying sparks, there were concerns about the flames spreading into the trees and the CP Rail Line, so firefighters and wildfire crews put out sprinklers at the tree line, with the wet guard holding the blaze back.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District fire services coordinator told the Salmon Arm Observer that heavy equipment might have been the cause. He said, “It’s thought to have started in an area of heavy equipment where there was a conveyor system whose belts could have caught on fire… There was also a wood chipper, an industrial welder and a hydraulic pump, and hydraulic fluid gets very hot.”
Crews remained on site until around 1:00 a.m. Mill management confirmed that they would maintain a fire watch until they were sure that the fire was completely out. They were required to use heavy equipment to dig down into the sawdust and hose it down.
No one was injured and the extent of the damage to the mill is not yet known.
Sources:
Kamloops This Week
Salmon Arm Observer
