Date: August 18, 2018
Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia (Canada)
Address: 1000 Wave Place, V9X 1J2
Type: Wood Chip Fire
Fuel: Wood Dust
Industry: Pulp Mill (Wood & Wood Products)
Equipment: N/A
Company: Harmac Pacific
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Harmac Pacific is a producer of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp, which is used mainly for papermaking applications. It has been providing pulp products to the global market since the 1950’s, with over 50% of its customers located in Asia.
Incident Description:
On August 18, 2018, the Comox Valley Record reported a late night fire at a pulp mill in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Chek News noted that two scrap wood piles and some stacked wooden pallets caught fire, sending sparks hundreds of feet up into the air. When firefighters arrived at 11:30 p.m., they immediately joined mill employees in trying to both extinguish the flames and control the embers with the wind to the east.
A Nanaimo Fire Rescue captain said that the cause of the fire is undetermined but it appeared to have started between the two scrap piles. Firefighters left at 6:30 a.m. but emergency crews remained on the scene for a while afterward to spray water on the smouldering piles and confirm that no fires resulted from the wind and the embers.
No injuries were reported and any property damage is unknown.
Sources:
Comox Valley Record
Chek News
