Mill fire causes workers to evacuate

MEDFORD, Ore. – A fire broke out in a plywood mill between Gold Hill and Rogue River late this afternoon, causing workers to evacuate.

Firefighters from multiple agencies responded to the fire in the ‘Murphy Plywood’ mill.

When units arrived, they saw a lot of smoke in the building.

They identified the fire to be isolated in the ceiling.

Firefighters attacked it from the ground and the roof, cutting vent holes to access the fire.

They were able to contain the fire to the place of origin.

Rogue River Fire District #1’s Fire Chief Mike Hammond said “there’s a huge fuel load in this building and the fire did not get close to the fuel load. The fire was isolated above the dryers, so we were real fortunate about that.”

The cause is believed to be from a ceiling fan catching on fire.

At this point, the workers are keeping an eye on the mill.

Firefighters will return to it periodically to see if any activity starts back up.

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