Interfor’s Meldrim, Georgia, Sawmill Sustains Fire Damage to a Kiln Building

Several local fire departments spent most of Sunday afternoon and evening fighting a fire at Interfor Corporation’s sawmill located in Meldrim, Effingham County, Georgia, WTOC/Channel 11 reported (2-19-24).

Captain Hannah Jackson, a fire official with Effingham Fire and Rescue, told WTOC that they “found a fire located in one of the kiln buildings” and joined Interfor employees who were already in the process of trying to control and extinguish the blaze. Due to the size of the fire and lack of available water, mutual aid was requested.

Jackson said, “This is an infrequent occurrence, but this occurred while they were operating the kiln machine. We’re also trying to refill the water cistern that’s on site for the plant itself so that they can continue operations once we’re done.”

There was substantial damage to the kiln that was on fire, but no injuries were reported.

At the time of the WTOC report, Interfor had not yet commented on the fire and its overall impact on the Meldrim sawmill facility.