Seafood processing plant in N.B. destroyed following explosion, fire; 2 workers injured
A seafood processing plant in Portage, N.B., has been completely destroyed following a major fire Friday afternoon.
The building owner for W.E. Acres Crabmeal Ltd., Jim LeBlanc, told CTV News an explosion in an oil drum sparked the fire inside the facility.
LeBlanc said the incident was accidental, but adds the plant is a complete loss.
He says, at the time of the fire, four people were working inside but were able to escape.
LeBlanc says he and a coworker suffered minor injuries due to the fire.
"Myself and one of my coworkers were injured, like burnt... first and second-degree burns. We'll heal," he said.
LeBlanc confirmed his coworker was taken to hospital for treatment for second-degree burns.
The Cap-Pelé deputy fire chief said about seven fire departments responded to the call, which came in around 2 p.m.
Crews battled the fire and remained on the scene for several hours to deal with hot spots but have since cleared the scene.
The building is used as a fishmeal plant that produces things like fertilizer and animal feed, according to LeBlanc.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
One dead, six remain missing as police search for victims of fire in Old Montreal
One person has been confirmed dead and six people remain missing as police continue to search for victims after a fire swept through a building in Old Montreal on Thursday.

Woman suing Tim Hortons for $500K after hot tea spill left her 'disfigured'
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
5 Connecticut children dead after crash in New York
Five children from Connecticut, ranging in age from 8 to 17, were killed in a fiery early morning crash Sunday on a New York highway, police said.
Poilievre calling for national standardized test to license doctors, nurses trained outside of Canada
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for a national standardized testing process to be created in order to speed up the licensing process for doctors and nurses who are either immigrants or were trained abroad.
Trails of human bacteria from sneezing and coughing preserved on Mount Everest: study
Even at one of the tallest natural peaks on Earth, humans have left their mark in a trail of bacteria as researchers have found germs from coughing and sneezing that have been potentially preserved for centuries on Mount Everest.
Putin's world just got a lot smaller with the ICC's arrest warrant
President Vladimir Putin always relished his global outings, burnishing his image as one of the big guns running the world but with the International Criminal Court's war crimes charges against him, Putin's world just got smaller.
Possibility of Trump's arrest builds sympathy among his supporters
The possibility that Donald Trump may be charged for allegedly covering up hush money payments to a porn star during his 2016 campaign is garnering sympathy for the Republican former president, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said on Sunday.
'Who, if not us, should stop them?': The stories of Ukrainian women on the front lines
A Ukrainian charity tells CTVNews.ca how women on the front lines of the war in Ukraine do not have proper equipment and are struggling with the realities of being in a conflict zone. Here are their stories.
North Korea: Latest missile simulated nuclear counterattack
North Korea said Monday it simulated a nuclear attack on South Korea with a ballistic missile launch over the weekend that was its fifth missile demonstration this month to protest the largest joint military exercises in years between the U.S. and South Korea.