The Blackwell Dairy processing plant caught fire late on the night of June 14, 2017.
(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)
June 16, 2017 - 11:44 AM
KAMLOOPS – Questions about what caused the aggressive blaze that took out the Blackwell Dairy processing plant will have to wait until Monday.
Kamloops Fire Rescue personal were still on scene at the Barnhartvale farm yesterday, June 15, after an overnight fire ravaged the building.
Dean Olstad with Kamloops Fire Rescue says crews are waiting for help and big equipment from insurance companies.
"We will work with them. With a building and operation this large, we don't have an excavator and they do," he says. "With this one here, there's no sense in us even starting."
While Olstad wouldn't say if the building was a total loss, he did say because of the severe damage, the chances of renovations are "slim to none."
"Starting from scratch would probably be in everyone's best interest," he says.
Owner Ted Blackwell intends to rebuild the family business as soon as possible.
Yesterday, June 15, investigators were on scene, but did not enter the building.
"We grabbed a lay of the land. It's still steaming and smoking so we didn't go into the structure. Now it's secure and being monitored," Olstad says.
The Blackwell Dairy farm has been family run and owned since the beginning.
(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)
To contact a reporter for this story, email Kim Anderson or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2017