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Vermont Community Newspaper Group
P&R Lumber in Wolcott lost its planer mill in a fire Friday night.
Around 7:30 p.m., the Wolcott Volunteer Fire Department responded to a call at the lumber operation and — with help from the emergency responders from Hardwick, Elmore, Morrisville, Greensboro and Craftsbury alongside the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department and even employees at nearby Gravel Construction and Smith’s Store — the fire was limited to the planer mill. The sawmill was spared.
“It was the worst thing to hear ever,” Wolcott fire chief Jim Holton said. “My heart sank.”
“Thanks to all of the fire departments that responded in our time of need, thanks to all of the community support,” the company posted on Facebook. “Our sawmill building is OK and we will work through this hurdle.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Although the equipment and van inside the planer mill was insured, the building itself was too expensive to insure, according to Holton, so the fire chief has taken it upon himself to promote a crowdfunding campaign seeking $50,000 to help P&L Lumber’s owners, Ben and Aaron Patoine, recover from the disaster.
To Holton, The Patoines are his neighbors, a small business that has long been part of the fabric of the town’s community and worthy of aid in their time of need.
“They are used to helping the community build. Now it’s our turn to help them build,” Holton wrote in a call for donations.
To donate to the P&L Lumber recovery fund, go to bit.ly/40PrI60.
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