High Prairie, AB (May 20, 2022, 4:30 p.m. MT) The fire department team that was monitoring Tolko’s High Prairie division following an early morning fire (previous article) have now left the site and handed the plant back over to Tolko. One employee was injured in the fire and is currently at home resting.
As part of Tolko’s established procedures, a structural engineer will assess the site tomorrow to determine when it is safe to begin repairs. From an initial investigation, the fire appears to have started when a small pipe carrying thermal oil broke, and the thermal oil ignited. The investigation will continue. Tolko believes that the fire suppression systems helped to keep the fire contained to the press area so it did not migrate to other areas of the mill.
Damage assessments and inspections will continue over the weekend as we determine our next steps.
