Inferno destroys mill building

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One of the two remaining Somass Mill buildings was destroyed by fire yesterday.

Firefighters were called to the patina building shortly after 8:30 yesterday morning and the 4-storey structure was fully involved.

The oil soaked timbers in the building caught fire quickly and turned the former power house into an inferno, melting steel girders, and causing most of the building to collapse.

Port Alberni Deputy Fire Chief Travis Cross said the 90-year old building burned very hot.

“There was quite a lot of BTUs coming off of it so we just put a lot of water on on the exposures,” he said.

More than two dozen firefighters from throughout the Valley assisted, along with paramedics and excavator operators.

Cross said the fire is suspicious and investigators will be combing through the wreckage today in search of answers.

Mathews West Developments who purchased the lands from the city in December, requested the power plant and main saw building not be part of the demolition plan as they saw commercial possibilities for the structures.