Irving Pulp and Paper Mill Operating After Fire


Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada 23 November 2015 -- (From CBC News) -- J.D. Irving Ltd. is reporting the Irving Pulp and Paper Mill in Saint John is operating normally after its scrubber unit was brought back on line Sunday.

An electrical fire Saturday night damaged the exterior of a building housing the electrostatic precipitator unit and some surrounding utilities.

The unit acts as a scrubber to control emissions at the mill. J.D. Irving Ltd. vice-president Mary Keith said there were no environmental issues as a result of fire.

"The electrostatic precipitator was back in service and fully operational when the boiler started up yesterday morning," said Keith.

Keith said the boiler was immediately shut down at the time of the fire until the situation was under control.

"As part of our process, the incident has been reported to the NB Department of Environment," said Keith.

Saint John Fire Platoon Chief Steve Voutour says the alarm about the precipitator fire came in at around 9 PM Saturday night.

"It's a large unit, hundreds of feet high," said Voutour.

The fire was brought under control and firefighters left the scene in the hands of mill employees after about two hours.

There were no injuries.