Crews responding to fire at Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp

He said one of the log piles on the property was burning, although it’s still unknown what caused the fire. According to Stoicheff, no one was injured.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency confirmed an emergency response team was sent to help fight the fire and the agency was also assisting with equipment and aircraft. It was unable to share details on the number of responders or aircraft sent.

Passerby Chris Neilsen was driving towards the mill when he saw black smoke that reminded him of a tornado. Once he got closer, though, he realized he was looking at a fire.

“The flames must be 20 to 30 feet high,” he said, adding he noticed a helicopter was already flying around with a bucket of water trying to douse the flames when he went past.

According to Neilsen, he’s never seen anything like this before, “except for the fires up north.”