Western Forest Products Columbia Vista Mill Sustains Major Fire Damage

Longtime lumber producer Columbia Vista in Vancouver, Wa. sustained major damage in a July 6 fire that has left the mill completely inoperable. According to firefighter reports, a fire started in the maintenance building that eventually collapsed and was consumed by fire. The former independent mill that’s been in operation since 1952, Columbia Vista, was sold to British Columbia-based Western Forest Products in 2018. The operation includes a reman plant several miles away from the main mill site.

No employees were injured, as the fire was battled by 30 firefighters and 126 vehicles. According to investigators the fire has been ruled an accident but an investigation is ongoing that includes employee interviews and surveillance footage review. Western Forest Products officials say they are conducting their own investigation and quickly making assessments to begin developing recovery plans. The mill produced 53MMBF in 2024, much of it specialty Douglas fir products that also had significant Japanese export markets along with the U.S.

“On behalf of Western, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the firefighters and first responders who attended the fire at our site,” Western’s President and CEO Steven Hofer said in the release. “While we are shocked by the damage to the mill, we feel incredibly fortunate that no employees or emergency personnel were injured. We are focused on supporting our team members and completing an incident investigation and assessment.”