B.C. plywood mill burns to ground

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – A fire that destroyed a Prince George plywood mill has thrown 285 people out of work at a time when northern British Columbia already has been hammered by forestry job losses.

The future of Canfor’s North Central Plywoods plant – where only the debarker, some offices, the helicopter hangar and the wood deck were saved – is on everyone’s mind.

“It’s devastating,” said Gord Kay, a 32-year veteran at the plant, who came to see the destruction on Tuesday morning. “What do we do now?”

Canfor issued a brief statement, saying no decisions have been made regarding the status of the operation. The company planned a closed meeting today to brief unionized workers.

The fire occurred early Monday evening, and workers said the blaze appeared to have started in one of the plant’s three veneer dryers but quickly spread across the roof.

A warehouse in a B.C. Rail industrial area more than a mile away also was destroyed Tuesday morning after being ignited by embers from the mill fire.

No serious injuries were reported. Company officials couldn’t say Tuesday whether Canfor would rebuild the plant or if workers would continue to be paid.

“It’s still far too early to even get into that,” said Canfor spokesman Lee Coonfer. “The immediate priorities are to extinguish the fire and maintain the existing integrity of the site and make sure our log yard remains intact and viable.”

Industry observers said that whether the plywood plant will be rebuilt will depend on what kind of niche markets the company has for its plywood, the timber supply and competing investments.

The timber supply in the province’s northern interior is forecast to drop in the next several years because of a pine beetle epidemic. There’s also the depressed market to consider, said forest industry analyst Kevin Mason.

“It’s unfortunate for workers, but I don’t expect Canfor to be rushing into a decision,” said Mason, managing director for Equity Research Associates.

Workers who came to view the site Tuesday morning were confronted by smoldering ruins where orange flames could still be seen in places. Blackened metal girders had collapsed and sections of brick walls had fallen over.

Jymm Kennedy, the president of Local 25 of the Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada, said there were 260 unionized workers at the plant working on four shifts: day, afternoon, graveyard and weekends.

Another 25 people were in management.