Scene from safety perimeter at Carrier Lumber’s planer mill Monday afternoon   250News file photo

Prince George, BC – Investigators from WorkSafe BC have wrapped up their onsite work at Carrier Lumber in the wake of a fire and subsequent explosion that injured one employee on Monday afternoon.

WorkSafe’s Director of Investigations, Jeff Dolan, says the incident was isolated to the planer mill, where a fire was reported at 3:30 that afternoon.  "Carrier Lumber took the appropriate efforts to put that fire out," says Dolan.  "They had to shut some systems down and it was when they were re-starting those systems that there was an isolated explosion at around 4:15 that afternoon."

Dolan says WorkSafe BC was notified immediately and arrived on-scene Monday evening.  He says investigators have spent the last couple of days examining evidence at the site, taking away anything that may be required for testing, and conducting interviews. 

"So we’re looking to determine the cause and the origin and the fuel source of the fire and, as well, map the path of how it led to an explosion – what was the ignition source and the fuel source of that explosion."

Dolan says the investigators will gather in the office on Monday to brief others, using a team approach, to determine just what happened.  He doesn’t expect the investigation to be a lengthy one, based on initial observations and says a full, detailed report will come out of the investigation.

One male employee was transported to hospital following Monday’s fire and explosion, where he was treated and released that evening.  Clean up and repairs are underway at the planer mill.  Once complete, WorkSafe BC inspectors will give orders stating the prescribed steps that must be taken for the operation to resume safely.