Fire at Athens pellet mill

[akakii]

Fire reported at Athens pellet company
By Scott Monroe Morning Sentinel reporter December 12, 2008 08:41 PM

ATHENS -- Firefighters were dispatched to the Maine Woods Pellet Co. around 8:15 this evening for a report of a structure fire.

The fire's extent was not immediately clear.

The company is located at 164 Harmony Road in this Somerset County town. Athens Fire Chief Jamie Stafford was among those responding to the incident.

According to the company's Web site, Maine Woods Pellet Co. owns and operates a wood pellet production facilty on a 55-acre site. The plant -- owned by Robert Linkletter and George Rybarczyk -- can produce up to 100,000 tons of wood pellets per year for both the bulk and bagged fuel markets, according to the Web site.

When it opened in April this year, Maine Woods Pellet Co. was the state's third wood-pellet mill.

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Follow-up stories will probably have quotes from the firemen saying that it was an odd fire in that it generated very little heat and tremendous amounts of ash.

 

[Souzafone]

Judging from what others have said, the fire should probably not last too long.

 

[Lobstah]

Nor would it provide much heat...?

It will, however, provide a reason for maintaining high pellet costs in New England.

Jim

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Nor would it provide much heat...?

It will, however, provide a reason for maintaining high pellet costs in New England.

Jim

I'll go along with number 2 unless it was an office building.

You do need a stove that can handle standard pellets. Hopefully they'll get their act in gear.

 

[slls]

You guys are baaad, I got a good laugh though.

 

[j00fek]

tho they have provided many with junk pellets, this isnt what we need. and i hope its not badly damaged...

 

[hossthehermit]

Fire was contained to hoppers, out now.

 

[BJN644]

Took a ride to Athens today, must have been a very minor event. The plant appeared to be running full steam with no evidence of a fire.

 

[gutterboy2ca]

LoL, thats Hilarious, but so true isn,t it..

 

[sparkydog00]

at first nobody could even tell it was on fire due to the blackened glass windows within the first 5 minutes.
after a concerned neighbor wiped the glass with dampened newspaper, it was realized the mill was on fire and the fire dept was called promptly.
also there was no smoke from the fire that is until the power went out, which first clued in the nieghbor that sometime was terribly awry.

But the clean up will be in the millions...costs alot to haul off that much ash!