Fire strikes again at Minas Basin

BY NADINE EAGLES-HARVIE More than 75 firefighters waged war on yet another fire at Minas Basin Pulp and Paper December 14.

At approximately 3 a.m, fire departments from Summerville to Waterville responded to a structure fire in the plants paper store warehouse. The building is located near the number one dryer at the end of Williams St. in Hantsport.

Hantpsort Fire Chief Paul Maynard says this is the fourth fire his department has responded to at Minas Basin in the last 18 months. The early morning fire was the most serious, by far, Maynard says. “When we arrived there was heavy fire and we immediately imitated a fire attack operation.”

The 30 to 40 large rolls of tightly packed paper in the storage area went up, “like hay bales,” he says. “Each roll was about five feet high and six feet wide and fire just spread though each layer.”

Maynard could not estimate the value of the paper.

The fire was contained to the storage area and there are no reports of serous structural damage.

There were 15 personnel on shift in the location when the fire erupted. Maynard says the employees were alerted to the situation by the fire alarm and activation of the sprinkler system. The workers quickly evacuated and no serious injuries were reported. One person was treated on site for minor smoke inhalation.

Maynard said the fire was under control by 9 a.m., but firefighters remained on location and continued to look for hotspots inside the product.