Fire in chip conveyor Shuts Down Södra's Mönsterås Mill

Södra, Sweden, reports that last Friday, August 12, a fire broke out in a chip conveyor at the company's pulp mill in Mönsterås, Sweden. The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but according to Södra, the prevailing wind caused it to spread rapidly to the mill's three chip stacks. Firefighters battled to contain the fire over the weekend, and it is now under control, being restricted to the chip stacks.

Putting out the fire is expected to take a few more days, the company says, adding that "it is difficult to say with any certainty when production will resume at the mill until the fire has been put out and it is possible to inspect the equipment. We are currently expecting the mill to resume operations within a few weeks. Nobody was injured in the fire."

Södra's sawmill in Mönsterås was also closed due to the fire. Operations at the sawmill are expected to resume midweek.

TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/