PLAINFIELD, N.S. – George Chisholm still has a positive outlook, even if a fire at his small Pictou County lumber mill might have slowed down the work.
“We’re still in business,” said the W.R. Chisholm & Sons owner on Friday afternoon, after the blaze levelled the sawmill portion of the operation.
“It could have been worse. It pretty well totalled the rough-lumber sawmill (but) we still have some lumber and we have the planer to finish the lumber, so we’re still on the go.”
The fire was noticed around 1 a.m. Thursday, when Chisholm’s wife was taking the family dog outside, and noticed the fire going strong, a few hundred yards from their house.
Located in Plainfield, near the village of Scotsburn in Pictou County, the mill was started by Chisholm’s father and was incorporated in 1973. W.R. Chisholm & Sons offering rough and dressed lumber.
Chisholm said his father and brothers operated the mill until “they decided to get real jobs,” he joked.
The intense heat twisted the metal framework of the sawmill. A few rough logs were damaged and the fire also destroyed a large forklift that had been sitting near the affected area.
Chisholm gave praise to the Scotsburn Fire Department, whom he estimated arrived about 10 minutes after they were notified.
“It seemed longer than that,” he said, “but really, they weren’t long getting here.”
Firefighters from River John, Caribou, Westville and Central West River also responded.
