An early morning fire at the EACOM lumber operation on the bank of the Mattagami River has damaged the planer section.
“It’s too early for us to make any assessment at this point,” reports Jean Brodeur, EACOM’s director of communications and public affairs.
He says none of the 30 planer employees was inside the building. The company shut down the sawmill section for the day as well. “(We) basically just wanted to make sure the firefighters were able to operate safely.”
Including sawmill workers, the complex employs more than 100 people.
EACOM is already planning mitigation to ensure the least effect on production and deliveries. Brodeur says it’s too early to talk about layoffs.
“We just want to assess that, then talk to the employees,” states Brodeur. “We’ll see what we do first, and then we’ll talk with them but no, it’s too early for us to think about potential layoffs or not.”
Firefighters battled flames and frigid weather. Fire Chief Tom Laughren points out that water and minus-35 don’t mix.