A Minas Basin Pulp and Power Company Ltd. warehouse in Hantsport, N.S., filled with large rolls of newsprint and coreboard, was damaged in an early morning fire Monday.

Hantsport Fire Chief Paul Maynard said the fire broke out at 4 a.m. Monday.

"The paper is the paper made for the print industry and it's stacked up in large rolls. Much like a bale of hay, it's packed tight," Maynard said. "Fire gets burning in between the stacks of paper, it certainly has potential for huge problems for our firefighters once we start putting water on it."

There were 15 people working when the fire started, he said, and one employee was treated for minor smoke inhalation.

The production line was not damaged, Maynard said. Production was back up and running Monday afternoon once the fire was put out. The company has two other warehouses.

About 100 firefighters from across the Annapolis Valley responded to the fire. There's no indication yet about what started the fire.

The company, founded by the late Roy A. Joudrey in 1927, produces 100 per cent recycled paperboard products such as linerboard and coreboard. It has a production capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes per year, according to the company's website.