CANADA (From news reports) -- A conveyor fire at Strathcona Paper left workers in the cold for much of the day on Monday.

James Richmond is the Deputy Fire Chief and Compliance Coordinator for the Township of Stone Mills. Reached for comment Tuesday, Mar. 4, 2025, Richmond explained that Stone Mills Fire Department responded to the Strathcona Paper plant on Monday, Mar. 3, 2025, at 1:29 p.m. The plant is located at 77 County Rd 16, Newburgh, Ontario, in the hamlet locally known as Strathcona.

Richmond explained that "Greater Napanee Pumper and Ladder responded as per our pre-established automatic aid agreement."

"Upon arrival, firefighters were directed to a conveyor area inside the plant which had caused a fire due to a mechanical issue. The facility's sprinkler system held the fire, and firefighters extinguished it in the surrounding area. The fire was contained to the area of origin and damage caused by the fire was kept to a minimum."

Firefighters cleared the scene at 5:52 p.m., and the building was turned over to the owners to commence bringing production back online.

No smoke was visible outside on Monday. Still, 50 or more workers had to evacuate the plant and were outside at emergency meet locations around the property. A loud alarm sounded from within the buildings of the plant. Unconfirmed social media comments from workers said they were eventually sent home for the day.

According to LinkedIn, Strathcona Paper was established in 1873 as the Napanee Paper Company. Today, it bills itself as "North America's only paper board company dedicated exclusively to the manufacture and supply of medium to heavy-weight paper board."

Strathcona Paper's parent company, PaperWorks Industries Inc., is headquartered in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The company responded that the incident at the mill was a minor fire that was quickly contained, and no one was injured. The mill has resumed normal operations.