Just months after a Kootenay sawmill reopened after a three-year closure, the main building has been destroyed by a fire.
The Meadow Creek Forest Products sawmill at Cooper Creek went up in flames early Thursday morning, with local RCMP crews saying there was no hope of saving the building.
Cooper Creek is on the north end of Kootenay Lake, about 45 minutes north of Kaslo.
The mill’s owners have not yet commented on the fire. Around 12 people worked on site, including Ash Maddocks, who said he only found about the fire when he arrived at work this morning.
“I’m kind of back to square one now. I’m still in shock,” he said.
“It’s a devastating thing to encounter first thing in the morning…Hopefully they’ll find away to get it up and running again. I love it out here, but there’s not many jobs out here.”
The Office of the Fire Commissioner will be investigating the cause of the fire. There are no reports of any injuries.
GALLERY: Photos of the fire and its aftermath
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