Silo Fire Extinguished at West Fraser Mill in 100 Mile House, BC

A fire was extinguished at West Fraser’s 100 Mile Lumber sawmill in 100 Mile House, BC, on Saturday, the 100 Mile Free Press reported (7-13-24).

According to Fire Chief Dave Bissat, crews were called out to the mill on Saturday for a fire “inside a fine dust silo.” The silo was around 120 feet tall and 30 feet wide. Around 15 firefighters responded, and Bissat said that the fire was brought under control by mid-morning; however, the fire was still burning inside the silo.

“We are keeping the exterior of the silo cool by spraying it with water and we are protecting the surrounding infrastructure while we await resources to extinguish the fire fully,” Bissat explained.

To fully extinguish the flames, Bissat said West Fraser hired a nitrogen truck from Alberta to come and “pierce the silo to cool the fire” so firefighters and mill workers could open the silo and remove its contents. No injuries were sustained during this operation and no damage was done to the surrounding infrastructure. Bissat said his crews stayed on the scene until 8:45 pm Sunday to ensure the blaze was fully extinguished.

As of Monday, Bissat said that the cause of the fire was still unknown.