Residents of Lebel-sur-Quévillon hold their breath as they wait to return to their homes: the Nordic Kraft pulp mill is still threatened by the fire that has been raging since Friday. A fire in the building would be a catastrophe with consequences that would go far beyond the region.
“On Friday, the fire passed just a few hundred meters from critical infrastructure. There are no words to describe how close we came to a really big situation. […] Not only are we crossing our fingers, we are also crossing our fingers in everything that can be done to the human body so that it doesn’t happen,” argues Chantiers Chibougamau’s Business Development Director, Frédéric Verreault.
Photo courtesy of Chantiers Chibougamau
The fire spread at breakneck speed throughout the day on Friday. It was visible from the parking lot around 5 p.m.
Much more than the buildings, it is above all the chemical tanks of the industrial complex bought by his company in 2017 that worries him.
“It’s like someone who has a chlorine boiler in their shed for their swimming pool. If there is too much heat, it can be extremely dangerous,” imagines Mr. Verreault. For us it is not about boilers, but about full chlorate tanks that we have on site.”
These tanks cannot be emptied to bring their contents to safety as the road leaving the factory is closed to traffic and poses significant hazards.
catastrophe
The Nordic Kraft pulp mill reopened in 2020 after a major modernization of 1960’s equipment at a cost of approximately US$400 million. 300 employees, 50% of them in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, work there every day.
Photo courtesy of Chantiers Chibougamau
Every year, the factory that manufactures the components needed to make toilet paper meets the basic needs of more than 10 million people.
Several Quévillonais whom Le Journal met in Senneterre and Val-d’Or are extremely concerned about the proximity between the factory and the flames observed when they left.
Many of them prefer not to think about the impact the destruction of the factory might have on the village. Some others believe that there would be “just no more” church.
Be careful
Although the situation has improved somewhat since the fire broke out, Chantiers Chibougamau’s business development director maintains that “nobody has any intention of lowering their vigilance”.
Photo courtesy of Chantiers Chibougamau
The sky had yellowish hues on Saturday evening as smoke was pouring out of the fire that raged east of Lebel-sur-Quévillon.
“We are at a completely different stage of intervention. The fire is emitting a lot of smoke as it burned down very quickly before slowing down on Saturday and Sunday. The risk with this is that only the outside of the trees will burn and it wouldn’t take much before it starts again. The risk remains and we remain on high alert.”