Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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| Damage estimated in millions |
The remains of the sawmill building at Griffith Lumber Co. in Woolwine are seen after the building was destroyed by fire Thursday night. (Contributed photo) |
Sunday, April 26, 2009
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Portions of a Woolwine lumber business in existence since 1933 burned Thursday night, and the business’s owner estimated the cost of the damage in the millions.
“It’s a total loss,” said Bruce Griffith, president of Griffith Lumber Co. Inc.
The company’s sawmill building was fully engulfed by the time the initial firefighter arrived at the scene, according to Woolwine Fire Chief Bennett Shuff. That building, which housed two operations — the band and circle mill — was destroyed in the blaze.
An official damage estimate has not been determined, according to Patrick County Sheriff’s investigator Nick Pendleton.
However, Griffith said it “is a multi-million dollar loss, but we have a good insurance policy with a good insurance company.”
The blaze will affect the jobs of about 40 of the company’s 50 employees, including truck drivers, saw stacking operators and mill workers, Griffith said.
Ten employees operate a lumber drying stack operation, Griffith said. That is a separate part of the business and continues to operate, he added.
“The key thing for us is putting people out of work. It breaks our heart,” Griffith said, adding stores, restaurants and other businesses will be impacted by the job loss, because “a lot of people depend on this” and employees who frequent local businesses.
The first firefighter on scene Thursday night lived nearby and arrived at the lumber yard within two minutes after hearing “several loud explosions,” Shuff said.
Shuff did not know what caused the explosions but said it could have been a number of things, including propane tanks, diesel fuel, acetylene torches or transformer fuses.
When Shuff arrived at the scene shortly later, “it was utter chaos. It was the biggest fire I’ve seen in a long time,” he said.
Shuff, who lives about three miles away from the lumber yard, said the flames were visible when he left his home to get in his truck and respond.
“It was a huge fire,” he said, calling it the biggest in the area since the April 2006 blaze on Bull Mountain.
With the mill fully engulfed, fire crews tried to keep the fire out of the woods and away from nearby buildings, including an office building. The crews’ efforts were hampered because the closest water source was about a mile away.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, Shuff said.
Griffith speculated the fire began with an electrical problem.
“The mill manager was in at 8 p.m.” Thursday to check the facility and everything was fine, Griffith said. “Something electric blew up about 10 or 10:30” p.m., he speculated.
The blaze “just took off from there,” Griffith said.
Pendleton said the call came in around 10:40 p.m.
Virginia State Police fire investigators will inspect the scene and analyze data to try and determine what prompted the fire, Pendleton said.
The state fire marshal also is involved in the investigation, Shuff said.
No one was in the building at the time of the blaze, Pendleton said, and no injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
Firefighters were at the scene until about 4:55 a.m. Friday. They returned to the scene three times later that day to battle hot spots.
“We’ll probably monitor it all weekend,” Shuff said Friday.
The company is considering rebuilding but also is exploring other options such as leasing a different mill or renting equipment and temporarily locating it on site, Griffith said.
There also will be a lot of clean-up to do, and Griffith said he hopes employees will be used for that.
At this point, the future of the lumber yard depends on the insurance adjuster, Griffith said.
Griffith’s father, Earl Griffith, founded Griffith Lumber in 1933, according to the company’s Web site. Earl Griffith began the business with an old sawmill and boiler. In 1946, the business located to its present site on Virginia 40. Earl Griffith retired in 1972, and his sons took over operations.
Bruce Griffith said he is one of three partners, including his brother, Billy Griffith, who is vice president, and Billy Griffith’s son, Bud Griffith, who is secretary/treasurer and also serves as general manager.
In addition to the Woolwine fire crew, Shuff said crews from all Patrick County fire departments responded, including Fairystone, Ararat, CCDF, Moorefield Store, Stuart and Meadows of Dan.
“We had a tremendous turnout,” Griffith said and estimated more than 100 fire and safety personnel were on site Thursday night. |
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