Date: November 16, 2020
Location: Williams Lake, British Columbia (CA)
Address: 4255 Rottacker Road, V2G 5E4
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Wood Dust
Industry: Sawmill (Wood and Wood Products)
Equipment: Wood Chip Bin
Company: West Fraser Mill
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its website, West Fraser Mill is one of North America’s largest lumber manufacturers with 45 facilities in British Columbia, Alberta, and the southern U.S. Products include lumber, panels, engineered wood products, pulp and paper, newsprint, wood chips and other residuals. It was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Vancouver, BC.
Incident Description:
On November 16, 2020, My Cariboo Now reported a fire at a sawmill in Williams Lake, British Columbia.
The Williams Lake Fire Department received a call at around 2:40 a.m. and responded with a crew of 14 firefighters, a Rapid Response truck and a ladder truck. They found smoke and flames coming from the chip bins, which fed the wood chipper.
Because access was an issue, they used the ladder truck to try to cool down and extinguish the fire from above. After cooling it down, they worked with mill crews to open up the chip bins and release some of the smouldering wood fibre and dust. After safely dumping the bins and extinguishing the materials, firefighters chased hot spots in some of the ventings around the structure.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Sources:
My Cariboo Now
Williams Lake Tribune
