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Sawmill Burns in Northumberland County

Sawmill Burns in Northumberland County - Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 5:24PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008 @05:24pm EST
Point Township, Northumberland County-

Not much is left of the area where the Mountain Ridge Wood Products sawmill used to stand. The mill, located just off of Hookies Grove Road in Point Township, went up in flames Monday just before midnight.

An employee, who lives nearly a mile away, says a loud explosion woke him up overnight. By the time he got to the mill a few minutes later, it was fully engulfed in flames.

Owner Mark Heintzelman said, "As it stands right now, the sawmill, the generator rooms, and our storage and machine shop in the back, is totally gone."

Mountain Ridge Wood Products manufactures log homes. Heintzelman says the mill has been targeted by vandals on more than one occasion over the past few months. In one instance, an unknown chemical was dumped into the generator's oil reservoir, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

The sawmill employs about half a dozen workers. "It's one thing to hurt me. It's hurting all of the people that work for me, their children," Heintzelman said.

Officials say battling the blaze was especially difficult, because water from the fire hoses was freezing upon impact with the ground, creating a slippery situation for firefighters. Fortunately, we're told there were no serious injuries.

Damages to the building and its contents are estimated at over three hundred fifty thousand dollars. Mr. Heintzelman says plenty of personal items of his were also lost in the blaze. "I've got ten years of my life up there, it's just a total waste," he noted. Heintzelman vows to rebuild the sawmill.

The investigation into exactly how and where the blaze started will continue, but officials are not ruling out the possibility of arson. A witness tells WBRE News he saw a silver car heading away from the property, just after the fire was called in. Anyone with information is urged to contact State Police at Milton at 570-524-2662.
 


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