Firefighters from a number of departments have converged to battle a fireplace at Coated Bridge Potato Chips manufacturing unit in Hartland, a serious employer within the New Brunswick city.
The decision got here in at 6 p.m., mentioned RCMP Cpl. Dan Sharpe. He mentioned 20 to 30 workers had been safely evacuated.
By 9 p.m., the hearth was nonetheless going however the constructing seemed like a complete loss, mentioned Summerville resident Kelly Gillin, who lives close by and watched the hearth from throughout the freeway.
“It’s devastating, there’s nothing left,” she mentioned in an interview with CBC Information.
“They’re nonetheless hauling water to it now, I don’t know what number of vans, I counted seven that had been simply zooming by backwards and forwards to assist put it out.”
Police say everybody made it out protected, however constructing is probably going a complete loss. (Submitted by Amy Crawford)
Gillin mentioned heavy smoke had unfold far into the St. John River valley.
“It’s a potato chip plant — there’s nothing in there however grease and packed greasy potato chips,” she mentioned. “That’s what left burning proper now might be all the product and all the grease that was there. It smelt like burnt grease. It was actually raunchy.”
Hartland, Woodstock, Lakeville and Florenceville-Bristol fireplace departments responded, along with the RCMP and Woodstock police for visitors management, Sharpe mentioned.
The constructing is positioned off the Trans-Canada Freeway close to the native hospital. Police are asking folks to keep away from the world.
Sharpe mentioned the trigger remains to be beneath investigation however that firefighters suspect the power can’t be saved.
The corporate’s web site says it was began by Matt and Ryan Albright in 2004 as a potato distribution firm, and expanded to potato chips in 2009. The location says it’s a fourth-generation household farming enterprise, the place greater than 500 acres of potatoes are grown annually for chip manufacturing.
Hartland Mayor Tracey DeMerchant mentioned the enterprise, which has loved worldwide success, has been a “fantastic addition” to the group.
“It’s simply heartbreaking to suppose that the Albright household goes by this,” she mentioned. “I’m simply shocked. I can see it from my dwelling like lots of people within the space, and it’s overwhelming.”
She mentioned the city will assist the enterprise within the coming days and can be reaching out to the house owners.
“We’re a closely-knit group, and we both know somebody who works there or has household who works there, so we’re all hit by this loss,” DeMerchant mentioned.
“That is folks’s livelihood and that is somebody’s enterprise that they’ve grown from the underside up. It’s devastating.”
Gillin mentioned there have been numerous individuals who had been within the space watching the flames, regardless of the RCMP’s recommendation to steer clear.
“I’m going to say individuals are curious, however greater than that it’s a enterprise proper right here in our group that’s gone,” Gillin mentioned.
As a lifelong resident of the Hartland space, she mentioned she feels for all of the locals whose employment is now in jeopardy — in addition to the Albright household.
“They assist the group, they donate to every thing that’s happening, they assist the entire space in charitable capabilities and all that. They’re fantastic folks,” Gillin mentioned.
This text is from from cbc.ca (CBC NEWS CANADA)