Firefighters contain large industrial fire at Englehart Mill

An intense fire destroyed a massive wood-waste pile at the Great Pacific Mill in Englehart on Sunday. Fire crews from multiple communities assisted.

A significant fire at the Georgia Pacific mill in Englehart, Ont., required a multi-department response early Sunday morning, with crews working for more than ten hours to contain the blaze and protect surrounding assets.

The Englehart and Area Fire Department received the call at 4:46 a.m. on Sept. 7. The fire involved a large pile of waste Oriented Strand Board measuring about 18.25 metres by 91.5 metres (60 by 300 feet) in the mill’s yard. The material, which the mill describes as “hog fuel,” is typically chipped for use as a biofuel.

Help requests to maintain water supply

The department responded with 18 firefighters, two pumper trucks and a tanker. Due to the fire’s remote location within the yard and the long distance to the nearest fire hydrants, local fire officials called for assistance.

“Mutual aid from Savard and Area Fire Department and Earlton Fire Department was activated for a water tanker to establish a water shuttle system to supply the 2 pumpers,” wrote Chief Laurila in an email to CTV News on Monday.

Shift to defensive strategy protects potential exposures

The intensity of the fire forced a change in tactics. Firefighters shifted from an offensive attack to a defensive one, focusing their efforts on protecting nearby exposures – including large piles of logs, from catching fire.

As the threat diminished, mutual aid units were suspended around 11:45 a.m. The Ministry of Natural Resources was also called in by mill managers and arrived early Sunday afternoon to assist with further exposure protection for the surrounding wooded area.

Crews stand down as monitoring begins

The fire continued to burn at a less intense level throughout the day. The Englehart Fire Department stood down at approximately 3:30 p.m. after the MNR set up a water sprinkler system.

Mill staff were tasked with monitoring the smoldering fire, allowing firefighters to return to the hall to restock equipment and clean trucks.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

“Fortunately, we do not anticipate any impact on operations since the fire was contained outside,” said Rick Kimble, Director, Public Affairs and Communications for Georgia Pacific, in an email to CTV News on Tuesday.

Kimble said authorities and first responders who were on-site were aligned with our approach and the company had no further issues.