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Stimson lumber mill explodes again, continues to operate

By: Aaron Spencer//August 17, 2011//

Stimson lumber mill explodes again, continues to operate

Aaron Spencer//August 17, 2011//

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Photo courtesy of Gaston Rural Fire District

A mill for Stimson Co. in Gaston caught fire and exploded on Tuesday.

Firefighting crews were dispatched around 7 p.m. when sawdust in a dust collector was ignited by a spark, according to Gaston Rural Fire District spokesman Ken Bilderback. The sawdust was smoldering when it exploded around 9:30 p.m.

The damage is estimated to be roughly $100,000, Bilderback said.

Official representatives from Stimson Lumber Co. were not immediately available for comment this morning. The mill paused operation briefly, Bilderback said, and is operational today.

In another explosion in May, in an accident with a hydraulic accumulator machine.

In Tuesday’s explosion, three firefighters where injured. The firefighters were taken to Oregon Health and Science University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries and were released without being admitted overnight.

Stimson is based in Portland and assets and operations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, including timberland on 500,000 acres.



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