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.”
Latest News
Housing Starts Come On Like Gangbusters
U.S. housing starts, both single-family and multi-family, came in hot in May at a combined seasonally adjusted rate of 1.631 million, a 21.7% increase above April. Single-family starts in May were at a rate of 997,000 an 18.5% increase over April, and multi-family was 624,000, an increase of 28% over April, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development…
Robbins Lumber Acquires Two Sawmills In Maine
Robbins Lumber, Inc., based in Searsmont, Me., has acquired two sawmills from Pleasant River Lumber Co., expanding the company’s footprint from two locations to four locations. The sawmills in Hancock and Sanford, Maine, will retain all 74 employees between the two locations. The company says the acquisition will allow it to build upon its eastern white pine production, which the…
Luoma Announces Retirement
Longtime executive and manager in the wood products industry, for years with LP, Brian Luoma announced he is retiring at the end of 2023 from his position as president and CEO of The Westervelt Co. Luoma joined Alabama-based Westervelt as president and CEO in 2017, and has been instrumental in the company’s expansion of its lumber and timberlands divisions…
Hampton Lumber Names Schillinger New CEO
Hampton Lumber has announced that Randy Schillinger will join Hampton Lumber & Family Forests as its new CEO, effective June 26, 2023, taking over for Steve Zika who has served as CEO of Hampton since 2003 and announced his retirement earlier this year. Schillinger has over 25 years of experience in the Pacific Northwest wood products industry. He began his career with…
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.