COLUMBIA FALLS – Firefighters returned to the site of the Plum Creek Timber Co. explosion early Wednesday morning to fight a residual fire that flared up in a second building near the fiberboard plant. Columbia Falls Fire Chief Rick Hagen said the fire was buttoned up shortly after the 4 a.m. emergency response, but firefighters from his department will remain on standby as a precaution.
“We’re just here in case something flares up,” he said.
At the height of yesterday’s blaze nearly 70 firefighters and emergency personnel from more than a dozen different agencies around the Flathead Valley responded to the scene. The explosion inside Plum Creek’s medium density fiberboard plant was reported at about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday and early reports were that more than 50 people were missing inside the plant. All workers were later accounted for.
The cause of the blast is unknown, according to Plum Creek spokesperson Kate Tate.
“We’re still accessing the site and as soon as the risk of fire is over we’ll begin a full investigation into the cause,” she said.
While the fiberboard plant is closed, Tate said the sawmill and plywood mill are operating as normal. It’s unclear how long the fiberboard plant will be closed and Tate said Plum Creek would have more information for the 185 people who work there later today.
Tate said Plum Creek was grateful to the local fire departments for their efforts to evacuate the area and keep employees safe. Hagen said the fire was one of the largest his department has responded to in recent memory.
“It was a great example of how Flathead County mutual aid worked because there’s no way the Columbia Falls Fire Department could have handled this alone,” he said. “We accomplished the mission.”