Fire breaks out at Canadian pellet mill

Fire crews responded to two structural fires located at the back of a mill in Nova Scotia, Canada, owned by Canadian pellet manufacturer Great Northern Timber Resources, according to a report in local news outlet The Chronicle Herald.

Chief of the local Upper Musquodoboit fire department Robert Kay said that the source of the fire could not be determined, only that five or six employees were on-site at the time of the fire and were all uninjured.

“The crews were great, they were fast,” Kay told The Chronicle Herald.

“They extinguished the fire they could see at the time and now we’re trying to get into the small spots causing us some havoc.

“With this type of industry and the material being dry wood, you can run into these situations. There are other industries of a similar (nature) across the province and they all have the same issues. We plan for it, prepare for it, and hope that it doesn’t happen.”

Both buildings, according to Kay, contained approximately half of the mill’s total capacity. Several mounds of pellets near the buildings had also caught fire.

“There were no injuries to our staff and we are pleased to report that our safety equipment and procedures worked as intended and contained the situation,” Great Northern Timber Resources CEO Thor Olesen stated in an email to The Chronicle Herald.

“Thanks to the quick response of the entire team at the mill as well as the local volunteer fire departments, the impact was minimised.”

Olesen also announced that the firm would conduct a full review of the incident and that the mill is expected to be back online soon.