Firefighters spent more than 12 hours battling a blaze at the Elite Forest Products mill in Malakwa on Thursday.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 big,91裸聊视频� said an exhausted Sean Coubrough, Columbia Shuswap Regional District fire services co-ordinator, attempting to estimate the size of the structure fire at the mill he and Malakwa, Swansea Point and Sicamous fire crews spent the day getting under control. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 bigger than I91裸聊视频檓 used to estimating91裸聊视频� I91裸聊视频檇 say it looks like two football fields in length and maybe one of them burned.91裸聊视频�

Coubrough said firefighters were paged around 5:45 a.m. on Thursday, March 9, and Malakwa firefighters were first on scene at the mill, located off Lybarger Road.

91裸聊视频淲hen we arrived on scene91裸聊视频� we had quite a large building partially involved, with flames showing and smoke showing91裸聊视频�,91裸聊视频� said Coubrough. 91裸聊视频淚t was venting through the roof with heavy black, thick smoke.91裸聊视频�

Coubrough said it was quickly learned the mill wasn91裸聊视频檛 operational, and there was no else onsite, leaving firefighters to focus their effort on a defensive attack of the exterior.

91裸聊视频淲e were not going inside the building 91裸聊视频� by the time we had arrived, the structure was compromised to a degree that it was not safe for us to put crews inside91裸聊视频�,91裸聊视频� said Coubrough. 91裸聊视频淲e called it, 91裸聊视频榟it it hard from the yard91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Preventing the spread was our number one priority.91裸聊视频�

Coubrough said there were some issues with access, as the roads into the mill hadn91裸聊视频檛 been plowed and were tricky to navigate. Also, a fire control system onsite was not operational, meaning water had to be hauled to the scene.

91裸聊视频淲e were forced to do shuttle runs with our tenders, running back and forth grabbing water, dumping it into a bladder and then sucking it up into the trucks,91裸聊视频� explained Coubrough. 91裸聊视频淭here were some concerns with getting water, but once things were set up it was working pretty well.91裸聊视频�

The attack continued throughout the day. At about 4:30 p.m., Coubrough said the fire was under control and crews were in the mop-up stage.

91裸聊视频淭he fact it91裸聊视频檚 structurally compromised, we won91裸聊视频檛 be putting crews in to do a proper structural overhaul, we have to do it from the outside,91裸聊视频� said Coubrough. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 going to leave a few hotspots, but nothing to worry about at this point in time. The manager of the mill will be put on a fire watch, that means we91裸聊视频檙e asking him once every hour to take a look around and if he does notice it start spreading, he can give 911 call and get us back out here.91裸聊视频�

Despite the size and intensity of the blaze, Coubrough said firefighters were still able to save half the structure and some heavy equipment within.

91裸聊视频淎bout half of the building we were able to save, which, considering the extent of the fire when our crews arrived on scene is no small feat,91裸聊视频� said Coubrough, adding the site91裸聊视频檚 manager, Ray Hansen, seemed pleased, having expected a complete loss.

A smaller structure at the Elite Forest Products mill caught fire in 2015.