Chute clogged with woodchips sparks second fire at Woodland Pulp mill in Baileyville, Maine, in two days; outbreak was quickly contained, with no damage to building or equipment, says fire official

Diane Keaton

BAILEYVILLE, Maine , April 3, 2014 (Bangor Daily News) – A chute clogged with wood chips sparked a small, brief fire at the Woodland Pulp mill Thursday morning.

Firefighters using a hose station in the building were able to quickly contain the outbreak, reported Baileyville Volunteer Fire Department Chief John McPhee.

The fire was reported at 8:40 a.m., and firefighters already had left the scene by 9:18 a.m., he said.

There was no damage to the building or equipment, and operations were expected to resume as soon as the debris was cleaned up, said McPhee.

The fire occurred in a building where incoming wood chips are sorted to remove bark, knots and dirt, explained McPhee, prior to entering processing equipment to convert the chips into pulp.

A chute that is used in the process of moving and handling chips became clogged, he said, and the resulting friction caused some of the wood material to catch fire.

Six members of the town's volunteer fire department responded.

The fire was similar to another that was sparked in the same chute and for the same cause on Tuesday night, said McPhee; in that instance firefighters were on the scene about an hour.

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