South Vancouver sawmill heavily damaged by fire

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A sawmill in south Vancouver is heavily damaged after an early morning fire.

Assistant Vancouver Fire Chief Kevin Wilson was among the firefighters who responded to the blaze at Yukon Street and Kent Avenue around 6 a.m.

“The initial call was for a vehicle fire or mechanical fire in the yard. As I crossed 41st Avenue and came down Cambie, we could see smoke carrying on through the sky, down the river. When we arrived on scene [there was] massive amounts of smoke and we discovered that the fire was inside the structure.”

“We had multiple tanks, vents, oxygen… the fire proceeded up the wall to the second and third floor of the structure,” he explains, noting that he called in a fire boat.

“The fire boat did an amazing job that the land-based companies could not access. The fire was put under control at approximately 8:45 a.m.”

Three people were hurt, including two people who had to go to the hospital. But they were able to walk themselves to an ambulance.

“In terms of if it a write-off, the fire investigator and the engineers from the mill will do a thorough investigation. Again, flames went right from the basement and the mechanical room right up to the third floor offices. So, it’s considerable fire damage,” says Wilson.

Wilson says a crane was also damaged, but crews were able to save a significant part of the mill.

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