OPP investigating suspicious fire at lumber yard

“The glow in the sky was visible from miles away,” Centre Wellington Fire Chief Brad Patton said of the suspicious fire at Herwynen Sawmill on Nov. 16.

At about 2am crews from the Elora, Fergus, Hillsburgh, Rockwood and Guelph fire stations were called to fight a blaze that destroyed several pallets of hardwood at the business on the 6th Line.

“Herwynen’s has done a very nice job here of keeping the piles separated,” Patton said. “It bought us some time to ... fight the fire.”

Patton said the blaze caused about $200,000 in damage and is being treated as suspicious. The cause is under investigation by the Wellington County OPP Crime Unit and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall.

At the height of the fire Patton estimated there were about 50 firefighters on the scene. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged.