Firefighters and mill workers put out a smouldering fire at Midway’s Vaagen Fibre sawmill Monday, Dec. 7.
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Midway Fire Chief Mike Daloise said the fire probably started in a pile of fibrous wood waste known as “hog fuel” late Thursday night, Dec. 3, when Vaagen staff noticed smoke coming from inside the pile. The natural decay of wood fibre in hog piles can generate enough heat for the fuel to self-ignite, Daloise explained.
The fire spread throughout the pile starting Friday night, when Daloise said mill workers trying to douse the fire exposed hot-spots in the wood pile to the open air. The fire burned through the weekend, with Daloise and seven department volunteers joining the effort Monday morning.
Fire fighters and staff had the fire mostly out by mid-afternoon.
Daloise said he was grateful to management and staff at Vaagen. “They dedicated equipment and personnel in their efforts,” he said, adding, “we had their full support.”
Hog fires are not uncommon in sawmills, he explained. The Midway area typically one or two such fires every year, he said.
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