Fire at Don Poulin Potatoes in Greater Sudbury

Sudbury fire officials say a “significant fire” broke out at the Don Poulin Potatoes warehouse in Chelmsford on Friday morning.

Greater Sudbury Fire Services dispatched 27 personnel and 14 vehicles around 8:30 a.m.

“There were reports of smoke coming from one of the storage buildings,” deputy fire chief Jesse Oshell told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an interview.

“We ensured that we sent a number of resources to this location because, certainly, the temperature, the ability to provide water and enough people, resources that we would be able to cycle crews through the very cold, extreme temperatures.”

No injuries have been reported and the fire is under control at the facility on Montée Principale, Oshell said just before 10:30 a.m.

The cause and extent of the damages are not yet known, but it is not being considered suspicious.

Fire crews “suspect that it was electrical, potentially a circulation fan.”

Despite being a sunny day, the temperature is -17C, so a bus has been brought to the scene to allow firefighters to warm up.

Crews remained on scene for several hours.

The fire happened at one of the “back” buildings and damage to the building’s front door can be seen, Aelick said.

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The business owners told CTV News the warehouse was storing roughly two-million pounds of potatoes and the fire has caused an estimated crop loss of $600,000.

The back of the building contained farming equipment, including tractors, but so far, the owners said it seems the fire was contained to where the potatoes were located.

Growing potatoes in northern Ont. has been a part of the Poulin family for five generations.

Dan Poulin said he is hoping his grandchildren will be the sixth generation to work for the company, in a video posted by Ontario Potato Board on social media Wednesday.

The company is one of the largest potato growers in the region with around 400 acres and five different varieties.

They are best known for their Russet potatoes for French fries, but also have red and yellow.

Long known locally as the ‘Pride of Azilda,’ the company started in Azilda and is now located in Chelmsford.

With files from CTV Sudbury reporter Lyndsay Aelick.