A sawmill fire Wednesday at BKB Cedar Manufacturing in McBride, BC, displaced 35 full-time employees. Mayor Loranne Martin Says they acted quickly after the facility went up in smoke, according to My Prince George Now.
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George spokesperson Renee McCloskey says multiple re departments were called to battle the blaze.
According to McBride Volunteer Fire Chief David Hruby, the sawmill will be turned back to the owner under WorkSafe BC rules.
Thursday’s fire investigation ruled the only possible cause at this point is an over-heated electric motor. Fire crews from Prince George and Valemount are assisting with the mulch re and should have it cleared by Friday.
Sawmill Fire
McCloskey says there appears to be no apparent threat to the public or surrounding area.
No one was on site at the time the re broke out, said BKB President Raj Basran to My Prince George Now.
“The mill itself is all burned up, and thankfully there’s no injuries and nobody was around at the time. We have 35 full time employees. We’re not 100% sure on what caused the fire yet and WCB is involved as well. Right now, there’s no entry to the site until they do their investigation as to whether the structure is even sound enough to enter into.”
Basran says he expects the Fire Commissioner to perform an inspection of the site sometime tomorrow.
The mill is a major employer in the village of 600. Basran says they’ll be looking into getting supports in place for the workers and their families.