Damage was minimal from a fire Saturday afternoon at F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. near Columbia Falls.

The fire broke out in midafternoon in two hog fuel piles on the northwestern corner of the plant property.

More than 10 fire engines from area volunteer departments and state and federal agencies responded and kept the fire confined to the piles.

“There was no damage and it won’t affect production,” said Chuck Roady, the company’s vice president and general manager.

The burning piles were more than 20 feet high and located near stacks of unprocessed logs and a large fuel silo that towers over the facility. The silo is part of a boiler system that uses the hog fuel to produce power for the plant.

Hog fuel is a coarse mix of bark and wood fiber left over from the sawmill process.

Roady said the hog fuel piles naturally heat up and are prone to spontaneous combustion like other materials that are stored in similar ways, including grain.

A small pocket of the fuel ignited and was fanned by high winds Saturday.

Roady said the fuel will likely be a loss.

“It gets really, really hot, so we are going to dig it up and douse it with water,” Roady said. “It’s a mess. We’ve got hog fuel spread out everywhere.”

Crews set up sprinklers Saturday night to keep the fuel pile wet throughout the night.

Roady hoped that the fuel would be completely doused and no longer a danger by Monday morning.

Agencies that responded to the fire included Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Evergreen and Badrock fire departments plus the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Flathead National Forest.

Reporter Megan Strickland may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at [email protected].