Owners of Windsor Plywood on Salt Spring Island are determined to keep the local construction industry supplied despite a fire early Tuesday that destroyed the main building at one of their two locations on the island.
“There’s probably close to 700 or 800 families outside of our staff that depend on us to make a living — professional contractors and the like,” said co-owner Ken Marr. “Our focus is to get up and running so that we can supply those people first and get them putting the ham and eggs back on the table, and then going forward from there.”
Marr said there are about 55 employees at the two sites.
The fire was at the Rainbow Road site — in Ganges near Gulf Islands Senior Secondary School, Salt Spring Middle School and Salt Spring Elementary School — while the second location is on Beddis Road, where staff has been beefed up in the aftermath of the fire.
School activities were not affected.
Efforts are being made to keep as many employees as possible on the job, Marr said.
“We’re making preliminary plans and we just don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never gone through anything like this.”
Marr choked up when he talked about the support he and co-owner Mike Stefancsik have received.
“The outpouring of help from our community has been gut-wrenchingly wonderful.”
Marr said he called a meeting of a dozen key staffers at his house to talk about vital issues for keeping the business rolling.
He said the first call about the fire came about 2:30 a.m. Stefancsik was at the scene about 3 a.m. and Marr followed about 3:30 a.m.
Sandi Poystila, who was up early on her way to a 5 a.m. shift at B.C. Ferries, said she saw black smoke when she left her house.
“At first I thought it was one of my friend’s boats on fire, but when I got into town I noticed it was Windsor Plywood,” she said.
There was some hope of preserving part of the burning structure at first, Marr said.
“For about an hour, hour and a half they were cautiously optimistic that they could save one end of the building.”
Workers came in about 5 a.m. to try to move product away from the flames, but it became too dangerous.
“Then the building just took off, and it’s unsalvageable,” Marr said.
Some of the operation was spared, he said
“At this point it’s just the main building, there’s no outbuildings gone, the lumber yard’s completely intact.”
Cedar, the company’s resident cat, was at first feared to have died in the fire, but appeared when an employee at the scene began shaking her treat bag.
Marr got a little scratched when he tried to calm Cedar, but was just happy she was OK.
“She’s fine, which is wonderful.”
He said neighbours of the business and employees living nearby have said they will put food out for the cat and ensure she is cared for.
jbell@timescolonist.com
