Burns Lake sawmill sues Toshiba over faulty motor that sparked deadly blast

VANCOUVER – The company at the centre of a deadly sawmill explosion in Burns Lake, B.C., is suing Toshiba International Corp. alleging it supplied the motor that sparked the fire leading to the blast.

In a B.C. Supreme Court statement of claim, Babine Forest Products alleges electrical arcing in a conveyor motor ignited combustible material, causing the blast that killed two people and injured 20 others two years ago.

The lawsuit claims Toshiba and three other affiliated companies were negligent because they failed to manufacture the motor to a reasonable standard.

WorkSafeBC said in a report released last week that friction likely caused accumulated sawdust in a motor in the mill to smoulder.

The report said the smouldering turned into an open flame, and when sawdust in the air caught fire, the explosion blew a large fireball through the roof.

The WorkSafeBC report concluded the explosion could have been prevented had Babine taken action to control wood dust. The Crown said two weeks ago no charges would be laid in connect to the blast.