Fire reported at British Columbia pellet plant

Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc.’s pellet plant in Burns Lake, British Columbia, experienced a fire on Oct. 9. The incident occurred in one of the facility’s large drying units. According to information released by the village of Burns Lake, the fire was completely extinguished by the plant’s built-in suppression system by the time responders arrived at the facility. As of Oct. 9, there were no reports of equipment damage at the plant.

According to the village of Burns Lake, the crew responding to the incident included 11 firefighters, a rescue vehicle, and a fire truck. The crew used heat sensing equipment to address small hot spots in the dryer and assisted ambulance attendants with injured workers. Information released by the village indicates three workers were treated for injuries.  

Pinnacle Renewable Energy’s Burns Lake facility has the capacity to produce 440,000 metric tons of wood pellets each year. The company currently operates six pellet plants in British Columbia, including facilities in Armstrong, Williams Lake, Quesnel, Strathnaver, and Houston. A seventh pellet project is under development near Lavington. Once that project is complete, Pinnacle Renewable Energy’s total capacity is expected to reach 1.5 million metric tons per year.