CURTIN, W.Va. — Damage was estimated at nearly $500,000 after fire tore through a Webster County saw mill Monday night.
Crews were sawing lumber at the Jim C. Hamer operation at Curtin when the fire erupted in the lower level around 7:30 p.m.
“We’re not sure right now what caused the fire, but we know it got into the hydraulic system and burned the hydraulic lines in two,” said Don McCourt, fire chief for the Webster Springs Volunteer Fire Department. “We probably had between 300 and 400 gallons of hydraulic oil on fire in the lower level of the mill.”
The fire spread into the second level of the mill and consumed about one-third of the building. McCourt said flames were shooting high into the air when firefighters rolled up to the scene,
“They just saw smoke and all of the sudden there were flames shooting up by them,” he said. “Of course when you’ve got saw dust everywhere and you soak it in hydraulic oil, you’ve made a big wick. It was intense.”
The damage consumed several pieces of saw equipment along with the debarker and the structure that housed the mill. The mill has been a major operation and a key employer in the region.
One worker suffered a burn to his arm and was treated and released at the hospital.
Investigators and company officials were back on the scene Tuesday evaluating damages and searching for a cause.