Cause of Coldstream Lumber fire uncovered

by Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star posted Aug 14, 2014 at 12:00 PM
The cause of a major fire that broke out at Coldstream Lumber Tuesday has been uncovered. Investigations into the fire revealed that there was a catastrophic failure of fuse boxes which led to electrical arcing. “We’ve had it confirmed through lab tests,” said Coldstream Fire Chief Shane Code. Now that the investigation has wrapped up, the mill is just waiting for BC Hydro to replace the transformer which blew and get power back into the site. Some employees have already been back since the fire, cleaning up the mess. The blaze, which broke out Tuesday morning, completely destroyed the two kilns and melted the front of the planer shed. Damage is estimated at "hundreds of thousands of dollars," said Code.