Flames breaks out in tissue machine at Georgia Pacific’s mill
Emergency services confirmed the fire was a "smoldering dust fire" on top of the facility's tissue machine
Firefighters in Putnam County, FL, are investigating what caused a fire at the Georgia-Pacific paper mill Tuesday morning. Georgia-Pacific Corporation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tissue products including paper towels, toilet paper, napkins and facial tissue.
Fire crews were able to put the flames out, according to the Putnam County Fire Department, after a fire started above the tissue machine. No injuries have been reported, the fire department said.
Emergency services confirmed the fire was a “smoldering dust fire” on top of the facility’s tissue machine. The Palatka Fire Chief was apparently on the scene.
A Georgia-Pacific spokesperson said there are several large tissue machines in the plant, and sometimes the dust collects on top of the machine, causing it to smolder. When this happens, the company calls the fire department to manage and monitor it. There was no major damage, the spokesperson said.
It’s not the first time that the company called fire crew to the tissue side of the building. Previously, in July 2019, the Putnam County Fire and Rescue Department were called in to determine what caused an incident at the mill on 215 County Rd. that left that part of the building filled with smoke.
Georgia-Pacific officials said that there are no injuries as a result of the fire. They also say it was a small fire, which is now contained. The multiple units that responded are now able to rotate through the plant and monitor the fire.
