The chief of the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department says two of his members were sent to hospital with injuries sustained fighting a fire at Port Hawkesbury Paper.
Curtis Doucet says they responded to a fire in one of the mill’s chip silos at roughly 7:45 p.m. Thursday.
Doucet tells The Hawk members from five volunteer departments responded.
“There was Louisdale Fire, Port Hawkesbury Fire, Port Hastings Fire, West Bay Road Fire, and Antigonish Town (Fire) with the aerial truck.”
Doucet says they left after close to four hours at the scene, at which point mill workers continued to fight the fire; normal operations resumed shortly after.
He says there was no major threat to the rest of the mill, or the immediate area.
“It was all inside of one silo unit- the chances of it spreading were very minimal, it was all contained in one unit,” he says. “It was just a matter of getting inside the unit and fighting the fire.”
Doucet says two firefighters were sent to Strait Richmond Hospital, and later taken by ambulance to hospital in Halifax; he wouldn’t comment on the nature of their injuries, except that they are non-life-threatening.
He says one member was sent home Friday morning, while the other was expected to be released Friday afternoon.
Doucet says two mill employees suffered undetermined injuries.
