Fire breaks out at SP Newsprint paper plant in Newberg, Oregon, on Sept 1., with operations continuing in some parts of mill; four mill employees taken to hospital for observation

Kendall Sinclair

LOS ANGELES , September 1, 2012 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – A fire broke out at an SP Newsprint Holdings LLC paper plant in Newberg, Oregon, shortly before 1 P.M. on Sept 1., Northwest Cable News reported the same day.

Reportedly, the fire first began in a paper machine before spreading up four floors of the building as a series of smaller fires, said Newberg Fire Department Battalion Chief Gert Zoutendijk. The cause of the initial blaze is still under investigation.

Firefighters had contained the blaze by 4:20 P.M. At this time, they were still attempting to put out one small fire beneath a large piece of machinery.

Of the five mill employees who were evaluated for smoke inhalation, four were eventually taken to the hospital for observation, Zoutendijk added.

Operations continued in other parts of the mill, and some employees helped the firefighters.

Firefights said that they typically respond to two-three fires annually at the plant. The most recent fire, apart from the Sept. 1 blaze, occurred one month ago in the recycled paper storage warehouse, which is in a different section of the facility.

The primary source of this article is Northwest Cable News, Seattle, WA, on Sept. 1, 2012.

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