Assessing the aftermath following fire at Nova Scotia lumber plant

HALIFAX -

 A major fire has been extinguished at Lewis Mouldings in Weymouth, N.S., but the damage is extensive.

It took crews from almost two dozen fire departments to bring the flames under control.

Now, the largest employer in the area is unsure about its next step.

The fire broke out just after 6 p.m.in an area where raw material is held. The piles of dry, Nova Scotia white pine wood fuelled the inferno at the facility.

"As anybody knows, pine burns really well when it gets going, that’s kind of what we had here last night," says co-owner Jamie Lewis.

At the time, the day shift had gone home, the night shift had just clocked in.

"They were operating as normal and then one of them noticed smoke, and then quickly, fire. They evacuated so everybody got out safely," says Lewis.

The flames were visible from kilometres away.

"We could just see all the flames coming up over the tree line, probably 30 to 40 feet high," says witness Angela O’Neill-Whiteley.

Weymouth Fire Chief Roy Mullen estimates there were at least 200 firefighters from 22 fire departments.

The flames, stoked by an endless supply of wood, created almost unbearable temperatures for firefighters.

"Heat, a couple of them had heat exhaustion. There were propane tanks, one exploded outback. No one was there anyway," says Mullen.

The Lewis family has been in the forestry business for 60 years, producing mouldings for the last 30.

The company employed 90 people on site.

They did have insurance, but Lewis isn't sure what's next.

"I’ve got kids of my own and they talked about running it when they’re older, and I am older," says Lewis.

"We’ll see what the next steps are as the days come together and we learn more about how bad the damage really is."