An explosion and fire destroyed a saw mill early this morning near Hoonah, according to Hoonah Police Chief John Millan.
Millan says it's too early to say what caused the blast. He just sent this report describing what happened:
An early morning pair of explosions destroyed a commercial saw mill on Long Island near Hoonah. Hoonah Police Lead Dispatcher Joan Howell was at the back of the Hoonah Police Station and witnessed the initial explosion from across Hoonah Harbor at 5:55 a.m. and a second one about 30 seconds later. She said that she felt the force of the blast and dispatched emergency personnel to the scene. 911 callers reported the subsequent fire.
Police Chief John Millan arrived on scene approximately 10 minutes later and saw a black mushroom cloud from the second explosion still rising, an indication of a petrochemical fuel source. A number of smaller explosions contined after the initial two. Millan said that the explosion effects were devastating, with the mill completely leveled and remaining debris fully engulfed along with stacks of lumber that were ablaze.
Millan said that there was no reason to believe that anyone was in the building at the time of the explosion and no deaths or injuries were suspected or reported.
... The mill was open yesterday afternoon and is located just outside Hoonah city limits near the Whitestone community, about a 15-minute drive from town and employing about 5-10 workers.
Hoonah City Administrator Bob Prunella said that the loss of the mill is a serious blow to the town, since the lumber sales were used locally and elsewhere for construction projects and building.
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