Large fire guts fish plant in eastern Newfoundland
All that was left was a twisted heap of charred metal and smoldering ash
O’DONNELL’S, N.L. – A fish plant in a small community in eastern Newfoundland has been gutted by a large fire, likely threatening dozens of jobs in the area.
Crews remained at the Hickey and Son’s Fisheries Ltd. plant in O’Donnell’s on St. Mary’s Bay.
Witnesses said the blaze started sometime overnight, but there were no details about the cause or if anyone was in the facility at the time.
By daylight, all that was left was a twisted heap of charred metal and smoldering ash, though the building is not close to residences or boats in the harbour.
The plant had been processing whelk and cod.
The fire is just the latest blaze to have destroyed similar plants in the province over the last couple of years.
In 2016, the Norman’s Cove-Long Cove fish plant burned to the ground, just months after a similar fire at the Quinlan Brother’s plant in Bay de Verde.
Quinlan has since rebuilt, but the Quin-Sea plant in Norman’s Cove did not reopen and operations moved to Southern Harbour.
