Serious fire at tissue paper factory

An American tissue paper factory has been hit by a serious fire. The plant, which is owned by Clearwater Paper Corporation, is located in Stone County, Mississippi.

Jody Hatten, the fire chief for Wiggins, Stone County, stated that there was a great deal of product stacked in the 25,000 square foot, open-air warehouse, which contributed to the ferocity of the blaze.

Clearwater is the sixth-largest employer in the Stone County area. Formerly owned by Cellitissue, the plant was purchased by the new company in December.

The plant employs 91 workers on a full-time basis, 19 of which were working the night shift when the blaze began. No employees were injured in the course of the fire.

The warehouse that was the epicentre of the fire had no solid walls, which may have enabled the blaze to spread more quickly. However, it also gave fire fighters easier access to the flames, which helped them to bring the blaze under control with relative ease.

Matt Van Vleet, a spokesman for the company, said that no hazardous paper-making chemicals had been involved in the fire, the night shift workers were all evacuated safely, and that the plant should be up and running again in just a few days.

Cellophane manufacturer rejects cash deal

Bosses at a cellophane factory have rejected a council offer which would have given the business a £63,000 cut in rates if the plant stayed open.

Innovia Films in Bridgewater were offered the deal by Sedgemoor Council. In a statement, the company explained: “Our proposal to close the plant is based on financial, operational, commercial and strategic issues.”

Closure of the factory will mean a loss of approximately 250 jobs.

The company’s statement continued: “We understand and appreciate the commitment of our Bridgewater employees and that of the local community. It would be wonderful if we could maintain all our production facilities. However, to compete in the global marketplace and to protect our business in its totality, we believe we must close a plant.

“We have invested significantly in our cellulose films business over recent years and we will continue to invest both in equipment and product development in support of this unique product.”

The company also stated that it had begun a three-month consultation process with employees and unions over the factory closure.

The Bridgewater facility was first opened by British Cellophane in 1937. In the late 70s, the factory produced 40,000 tonnes of cellophane packaging film every year and employed 3,000 people. Innovia Films acquired the factory in 1996.