Fire Destroys Sawmill in Belleville, New Brunswick

A fire on October 31st raced through a lumber mill operation located near Woodstock, New Brunswick, destroying a series of attached open wooden buildings with tin roofs, the River Valley Sun reported (10-1-24). It also destroyed mill equipment and a truck to shuttle wood and equipment throughout the lumber yard.

Woodstock Fire Department Chief Harold McLellan said his department responded to the call reporting an ongoing fire at 3:29 PM at the lumber yard. McLellan said crews arrived at the scene at 3:43 PM to find the fire fully involved.

According to McLellan, the mill is owned and operated by Hugo Filion. He explained the mill crew was shutting down operations for the day when they noticed the fire.

McLellan said the crew’s initial attempts to douse the fire failed, adding this type of operation provides the fuel to help the fire spread quickly. He explained that the hot bearings on running mill equipment, wooden structures, and sawdust helped fuel the blaze. While the mill operators had water on hand and kept sawdust and other debris removed from the operation, they could not keep the blaze from spreading quickly.

Due to the extent of the fire, the cause of the blaze may never be known.