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McBride mill destroyed in fire

A early-morning fire destroys the town’s main employer, BKB Cedar Manufacturing mill
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Fire crews rushed to the scene of BKB Cedar in McBride on April 5. - Image Credit: @MtRobsonBC/Twitter

The town of McBride is shaken after a violent fire shut down one of the main employers in town.

A blaze broke out at about 5:15 p.m. on April 5 at BKB Cedar Manufacturing, while the mill was closed down for the day.

Firefighters arrived on scene and battled the blaze that reportedly burned all throughout the night and into Thursday.

“There were no workers on shift at the time of the fire and there were no injuries,” says Scott McCloy with WorkSafeBC.

“At this time, the cause of the fire cannot be speculated on, it is now up to the RCMP. They are dispatching a RCMP fire investigator and I believe the Office of the Fire Commissioner has also dispatched an investigator to the scene.”

McCloy says WorkSafeBC is not investigating this fire, but does have some requirements for the employer.

“There were no workers present, but we have directed the employer to conduct an investigation and share its findings with WorkSafeBC,” says McCloy.

“We’ve also directed the employer to have the remaining structure inspected and certified as safe prior to any worker going into the hazard area.”

More to come.

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Fire crews rushed to the scene of BKB Cedar in McBride on April 5. - Image Credit: @MtRobsonBC/Twitter
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Fire crews rushed to the scene of BKB Cedar in McBride on April 5. - Image Credit: @MtRobsonBC/Twitter