Blaze Destroys Part Of Arkansas Sawmill
An early New Year’s Day fire destroyed a major component of a sawmill in Bearden that is the Ouachita County community’s largest employer. But the Anthony Timberlands Inc. pine sawmill and its 215 employees will be working by next week, the company’s president, Steven M. Anthony, said.
The fire was discovered about 12:30 a.m., about 30 minutes after a private security firm had made its hourly round of the sawmill property, he said. By the time an employee discovered the fire, it was fully involved, Anthony said. The fire was contained by 2 a.m. and “pretty much out” by 4 a.m., he said.
Fire departments from Camden, Fordyce, Harmony Grove and East Camden assisted Bearden volunteer firefighters in extinguishing the blaze. Authorities hadn’t established how the fire began.
“We’re not even sure where it started,” Anthony said. The fire destroyed the part of the sawmill called the band mill, the main department for breaking down large logs, according to a news release. Its operation employs a dozen people and accounts for about 15 percent of total mill production.
A newer processing facility for small logs, called the sharp chain mill, was undamaged, the news release said.
From Arkansas Online: arkansasonline.com.
Latest News
SYP Lumber Shipments Shattered Records In 2022
Shipments of southern pine lumber recorded an increase in 2022 from the previous year for the 13th consecutive year, according to the Southern Forest Products Assn. (SFPA), which tabulates shipment totals with the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB) and Timber Products Inspection (TP). The 2022 total also…
Aging Like A Fine. . .Sawmill?
Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Editor, Timber Processing April 2023 –Often I wonder what the future holds. I close my eyes and try to think 10, 15, 20 years down the line—30 years seems like a lifetime. Right now, in this moment, I’m a young mom, with young kids. I am in…
Vaagen Thanks Support For Midway Sawmill
The outpouring of support for Vaagen Fibre Canada’s Midway, BC sawmill, upon the early January Vaagen family announcement of the mill’s impending closure, was substantial, but apparently hasn’t changed the disappointing outcome, at least for now. The Vaagen family, whose Vaagen Brothers Lumber headquarters and sawmill is in Colville, Wash., announced on…
Mercer Gains Mass Timber Contract
Mercer International Inc. reported it has signed its first major mass timber project contract with a large consumer products retailer. The project, which is composed of cross-laminated timber panels, glue-laminated beams and connector elements, is expected to utilize four months of capacity at Mercer’s Spokane, Wash. facility on a one-shift basis over the course of 2023…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.