NEWBERG – About 30 firefighters from five agencies responded to a three-alarm fire that traveled up four stories of a paper mill Saturday, firefighters said.
The fire was reported shortly before 1 p.m. at SP Newsprint at 1301 NE Wynooski Street. It reportedly started in a paper machine and then spread as a series of small fires up the building, said Gert Zoutendijk, Battalion Chief of the Newberg Fire Department.
Five mill employees were evaluated for smoke inhalation and four were taken to Providence Medical Center in Newberg for observation, Zoutendijk said.
At 4:20 p.m. firefighters had the fire contained but were still on scene trying to extinguish one small area underneath a large machine.
The mill continued operating in other areas Saturday while some employees assisted firefighters.
One month ago, a fire started in the recycled paper storage warehouse in a different part of the plant. Firefighters said they respond to fires at the plant two or three times a year.
The exact cause of the fire was not determined.
