No injuries | Damages estimated at $7 million
A fire at a flax plant in western Manitoba caused $7 million in damage and put the jobs of 60 employees in jeopardy.
The blaze started at the Glanbia Nutritionals flax plant near Angusville, Man., on the morning of March 13.
No one was injured but the plant was destroyed.
Fred Dunn, reeve of the Rural Municipality of Silver Creek, said employees and residents remain anxious because the plant is the economic heart of the small community.
“It’s absolutely huge in this area,” Dunn said. “There’s 55 full time and five or six part-time employees… and our municipal tax base.”
Read Also
European wheat production makes big recovery
EU crop prospects are vastly improved, which could mean fewer canola and durum imports from Canada.
The Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner determined that the blaze started after flax overheated in the pasteurizer unit, where it is heated to kill fungus and bacteria.
Employees working the night shift noticed the flax was overheating and pulled a fire alarm, said Barry Wowk, an RM of Silver Creek councillor. However, firefighters from several communities in the region couldn’t save the facility.
“The tanks that hold the flax are OK, but the operational end of (the plant) … that’s all destroyed,” Wowk said.
Residents now want to know if the Irish company will rebuild.
Dunn, who spoke to company officials last week, said it’s too early to answer that question.
“There was no commitment either way, as of yet,” he said. “But their insurance company hasn’t even been (here) yet.”
Glanbia Nutritionals, which specializes in food ingredients, bought the Angusville plant in 2007.
Dunn remains optimistic.
“They’ve got a trained work force here … and they certainly realize that,” he said. “We’re trying our best here to do everything to encourage (reconstruction).”
