The Manistique Public Safety Department says it has identified “individuals of interest” in connection to a fire that caused nearly $100,000 in damage at the Manistique Paper Mill last Friday afternoon.
The department says the first reports of a fire at U.P. Paper LLC were called in around 3 p.m. last Fridday, and when crews got there, they saw fire burning through one of five storage areas on the property. Burning inside the storage area was compressed bales of recycled cardboard and other items.
About 1,200 bales of recycled materials, weighing 1,100 pounds each, were destroyed. The estmated damage is close to $100,000.
Five local fire departments from across Delta and Scholcraft Counties helped in the firefight. They were on the scene for some 18 hours, stretching well into Saturday morning. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and the fire did not effect the main building.
Public Safety says that there is a criminal investigation under way to determine the cause of the fire.
And while “individuals of interest” have been identified, no names or further details are yet being made public. They do say, however, that no one employed by U.P. Paper LLC are suspected of any wrongdoing in the incident.
The suspects that they have in mind are not known to have any affiliation with the company or any of its employees.
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