Fire destroys lumber, warehouse and office at Thompson Hardwoods in Hazlehurst, Georgia; officials say blaze started when wind spread embers to lumber stored in warehouse as newly-dried lumber load was pulled from kiln

Wendy Lisney

LOS ANGELES , June 10, 2014 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – A fire that broke out at around 7.30 a.m. on June 9 at Thompson Hardwoods, Inc., in Hazlehurst, Georgia, was so severe that the state forestry commission brought in one of its helicopters from Macon to scoop water from a nearby reservoir to dump on the blaze, according to a report by WTOC News.

Jeff Davis County Sheriff Preston Bohannon said the fire started when a load of lumber was pulled out of a drying kiln. The wind then spread embers from that load to other lumber in the warehouse where the kiln is housed. The fire burned all the lumber in the warehouse, the warehouse building and the office, and then spread to other stacks of lumber.

According to a separate report by WJCL, multiple agencies worked together to control the blaze, including American Red Cross crews which provided water and food for firefighters as they worked into the afternoon.

No-one was injured in the blaze, officials said, but the highway was closed and was not expected to re-open until 3 p.m. at the earliest. Agencies planned to stay on the scene for at least 24 hours.

Thomson Hardwoods is a manufacturer of Southern hardwood and cypress lumber and wood products, according to the company's website.

The primary sources of this article are WTOC News and WJCL, Savannah, Georgia, on June 9, 2014. The original articles can be viewed here and here.

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