PRINCE GEORGE — An inspection five months before a deadly explosion at a Prince George sawmill uncovered excessive amounts of pine wood dust, a coroner's inquest has heard.
Fire prevention officer Steven Feeney found the problematic levels of dust at Lakeland Mills in November 2011.
In March 2012, Feeney found the dust was back to what he deemed an acceptable level, but continued to list it as a deficiency in his inspection reports.
The next month, an explosion at the mill killed Glenn Roche and Alan Little and injured 21 other workers.
At an inquest into their deaths, Feeney showed a series of inspection reports and followup letters written to Lakeland beginning with his first inspection there in September 2010.
He testified Monday that despite ongoing requests for a fire safety and evacuation plan, he never received one.
Feeney said that he recognized wood dust as a fire hazard, but didn't begin to see it as potentially explosive until after an explosion at another sawmill in January that year.
He said he heard rumours that a blast that killed two workers at Babine Forest Products near Burns Lake was related to wood dust.
