Workers' future unclear after plant destroyed
Last Updated: Sunday, November 22, 2009 | 11:09 AM CT
CBC News
A concrete plant on the edge of Saskatoon was heavily damaged by an early morning fire Saturday. (Dan Zakreski/CBC)An uncertain future looms for 30 workers at a Saskatoon concrete plant that was destroyed by fire on Saturday.
Fire crews battled a blaze at Taylor Concrete and Pumping on the eastern edge of the city for most of the morning after the fire was noticed by a passing CP Rail engineer at 4:40 a.m. CT.
Four fire trucks rushed to the scene to find the front office on fire and a large part of the concrete plant in flames. Damage to the plant is estimated in the millions of dollars.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is unknown at this point.
A few workers gathered at the plant's front gate Saturday were clearly stunned by the amount of wreckage.
"It's devastating," said Dallas Rowley, one of the company's drivers. "It did quite a bit of damage."
Rowley said one of the now-ravaged plant buildings was just recently built as part of an expansion plan, and a number of the trucks he used to drive were destroyed.
"Gone. So, we have three trucks left," Rowley said.
RCMP Sgt. Greg Abbott said fire investigators spent most of Saturday just waiting for the crumpled wreckage to cool so they could get closer and have a look.
"It's just a really tough time right now for the owners of the business as well all the employees that are involved with this loss," Abbott told CBC News.
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