Date: June 17, 2018
Location: Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin (USA)
Address: 621 N Biron Dr, 54494
Type: Wood Chip Fire
Fuel: Wood Chips
Industry: Pulp and Paper
Equipment: Unknown
Company: Catalyst Paper Co
Previous Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description
According to their website, Catalyst Paper Co. produce printing papers, specialty papers, and pulp for a variety of commercial uses including book and magazine printing. They’ve been operating under the name Catalyst Paper Co. since 2005 and are the product of a series of mergers and acquisitions beginning in 1946 with British Columbia Forest Products Limited.
In early 2018, the company agreed to sell their U.S. Operation to Hong Kong company Nine Dragons Paper for $175million USD.
Description of Wood Chip Fire:
According to the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, fire departments from multiple communities were called to the Catalyst Paper Co. – Biron Mill in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin on June 17, 2018 to respond to a series of wood chip fires. The fire departments responded to the initial incident at 3:10pm on Sunday when wood chips in a tower at the mill caught fire.
The fire department were unable to determine the cause of the fire and responded to a second incident at 9:34pm. Following this, the fire department returned to the scene on Monday as workers disassembled the conveyor that carries wood chips and deposits them in the tower in order to search for malfunctions that could be the cause of the fire.
Sources: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
