Small fire extinguished at Old Town paper mill

OLD TOWN – Paper dust accumulating in the ductwork at the Georgia Pacific mill ignited and caused a small fire Tuesday afternoon. The fire was extinguished by Old Town firefighters equipped with an aerial truck that provided them access to the hard-to-reach area on the roof.

No disruptions in production were reported and the fire caused very little if any damage, said Lt. Mark Graffam of the Old Town Fire Department. Using the high-reaching ladder truck, firefighters dowsed some of the ducts with water, then disassembled the top of the vent and cleaned the area, he said.

Graffam said that employees at the mill regularly clean the ducts, but even that doesn’t completely prevent the accumulation of paper dust. He said the dust particles heated up and burned.