Paper mill fire in Manistique

Weather played a factor in fighting a paper mill fire in Manistique last night and into this morning.

The Manistique Public Safety and Volunteer Fire Department got the call last night just after 8:00 about a fire at 453 south Mackinac Street in Manistique.
The location is the home of the FutureMark Paper Mill, formally known as Manistique Papers.

According to reports from mill employees, the fire was located in the large storage pile of paper bales outside the mill near the southwest corner of the building near the clippings shed.

Firefighters, along with mill employees, were able to control the blaze. The fire involved 900 large bales of paper. There was no damage to the building itself. Crews used about 75,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation; there have been no reports of injuries to either firefighters or mill employees.

Officials say the scene was cleared around 4:30 this morning, and that crews were hampered by the 21-degree temperrature and the time-consuming process of tearing down the paper bales in order to put out the fire.