September 8, 2022 3:30 a.m.

Officials with Roseburg Forest Products, the operators of the veneer mill at the center of the Mill Fire in Weed, California, are investigating whether the possible failure of a water-spraying machine from a third-party equipment manufacturer led to the ignition of the September 2nd structural fire.

Corporate Communications Director Rebecca Taylor said Roseburg produces its own electric power in a co-generation facility fueled by wood remnants. Taylor said the generator ejects ash after consuming the wood. That ash is sprayed with cooling water, using a third-party-supplied machine. Roseburg is investigating whether that machine failed to cool the ash sufficiently which thereby ignited the fire.

Taylor said although the origin of the fire is still to be determined, Roseburg plans to proactively provide up to $50 million for a community restoration fund for the initial recovery needs of impacted residents. The fund will assist residents with temporary shelter, medical supplies and treatment, transportation, clothing, food and water, and childcare/day care services.

Pete Hillan, spokesman for RFP said “We know the fire has been devastating to Weed, and we are especially saddened by the loss of life”. Hillan said, “It has had a severe impact on our cherished neighbors, and on us, with three of our team members among those who lost their homes”. Roseburg team members will be offered counseling and other support services by the company.

Roseburg has organized a team intent on assisting the restoration of the community and finding what sparked the fire. To head up its response to the fire and help the community, Roseburg has hired the lawyer who represented the 70,000 fire victim’s interests in the PG&E bankruptcy, San Francisco counsel Robert Julian, and his firm, Baker Hostetler.

The full release about the company’s response to the Mill Fire is linked: https://www.roseburg.com/news-corporate/roseburg-investigating-possible-failure-of-ash-spraying-machinery-as-source-of-mill-fire/