A massive explosion and fire at the Lakeland sawmill in Prince George last week, has claimed the lives of two men.
Alan Little aged 43, of Prince George was the shift supervisor at the sawmill that evening. Immediately following the blast, he was taken to the University Hospital of Northern B.C. (UHNBC), but passed away several hours later.
Glenn Francis Roche, 46, of Prince George also passed away in hospital after suffering critical burns. He was transferred by air ambulance to hospital in Edmonton for more specialized treatment, however, despite aggressive medical intervention, he passed away during the early evening of April 24.
At approximately 9:38 p.m. on April 23, 2012, Prince George fire crews and the RCMP rushed to the Lakeland sawmill on River Road, after reports of an earth shaking explosion and fireball tearing through the sawmill.
The explosion was powerful enough to shake buildings and rattle windows several kilometres away.
Upon their arrival, emergency crews found the sawmill completely engulfed in flames and they were advised that there was approximately 49 employees on site at the time of the explosion.
Sixteen employees were on shift in the planer mill which is in a separate building on the same property and a further four were working in the yard at the time.
None of those workers were injured.
The remaining 24 employees, all of whom were accounted for, were transported to UHNBC with injuries ranging from minor to severe burns.
More than a dozen employees were attending a training session and were sitting in a second floor lunchroom when the explosion occurred in the same building.
Jonathan Dyck Northern Health communications said 14 of the 24 employees have since been released from hospital. Four patients were transferred by air ambulance from UHNBC, two to Vancouver General Hospital and one patient was transferred to Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.
Five employees still remain at UHNBC in serious condition.
The B.C. Coroners Service immediately began an investigation into the deaths of the two men, which was done in cooperation with the RCMP, the City of Prince George Fire Service, and WorkSafe B.C.
Prince George fire chief John Lane advised that the fire was too dangerous to maintain and therefore crews were letting the fire burn out.
Late last Tuesday fire crews were able to bring the fire under control, but continued to battle hotspots up to 48 hours later. "At this stage it is too early to determine a cause," he said.
The sawmill was completely destroyed
Early last Friday Prince George RCMP released a statement saying that the explosion and fire at the sawmill is no longer a criminal investigation
Prince George RCMP communications officer, Cpl. Craig Douglass said, "The tragic explosion and fire in a local saw mill that claimed two lives and injured many others, has been determined not to be criminal in nature."
On the afternoon of April 26, 2012, Prince George RCMP turned the investigation over to the B.C. Coroners Service who will continue to work closely with WorkSafe B.C., the B.C. Safety Authority and Prince George Fire and Rescue department.
It is expected that close to 250 people will be put out of work.
The tragedy comes almost three months to the day of the Babine Forest Products fire and explosion that completely destroyed the Babine Forest Products sawmill, resulting in two local men passing away at the site, 19 others injured and resulting in the direct loss of employment of approximately 250 people.
Labour Minister Margaret MacDiarmid said she will send an order out to all the sawmills in the province telling them to inspect their mills from top to bottom, to make sure all steps are being taken to address the current safety policy.
WorkSafe B.C. has now ordered inspections of all B.C. sawmills and has put the focus on the hazards of processing dry beetle killed logs in B.C. interior sawmills. The order went out on April 24, 2012.
The Lakeland sawmill is a member of the Sinclar Group Forest Products Ltd. and company officials have said to the media that they are not going to speculate on whether the company will rebuild the sawmill at this point in time.