Elite Forest Products in Malakwa, east of Sicamous, was scheduled to re-open Friday following a winter shut-down.
But a devastating fire Thursday morning has destroyed half of all the buildings on the site.
Fire crews were called in just before 6 a.m. and found the sawmill engulfed by flames.
Crews from Sicamous and Swansea Point were called in to assist the Malakwa Fire Department.
The mill’s planer was saved.