Lang Bay-area lumber mill damaged in morning fire

A fire at Lois Lumber in the Lang Bay area on February 17 has damaged property but there were no reported injuries as a result of the blaze.

Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department chief Dave Keiver said the call came in at 11:11 am and the department responded with all of its apparatus. Keiver said the department invoked its mutual aid agreement with Powell River Fire Rescue, which sent a vehicle and crew to assist in putting out the fire.

When contacted around 2:30 pm, Keiver said there were still crews at the scene mopping up some of the more stubborn hot spots.

“One building was fully involved when we arrived,” said Keiver. “Employees had fire hoses on it. They were all outside of the building and accounted for. There were no injuries at all.

“We took over from them and got the fire knocked down. We called mutual aid from Powell River and they responded. We didn’t need their equipment; we just needed some manpower.”

Keiver said he was working with the owners and work is being done to determine the cause of the fire and what happened. It’s all under investigation and it’s too early to calculate loss, he added.