Hope for rescue turns to grief
Two bodies found in rubble of sawmill near Burns Lake days after explosion
BURNS LAKE — Sadness and anger gripped this small northern community on Monday as confirmation came that two bodies had been found in the rubble of the Babine Forest Products sawmill and survivors confronted company executives about safety at the plant.
The identities of the bodies must still be confirmed, but they are believed to be those of two workers — Carl Charlie and Robert Luggi, Jr. — who have been missing since Friday night’s explosion and fire at the sawmill.
Meanwhile, more than 200 people — most of them workers — crowded into a gospel church hall Monday evening for their first post- explosion meeting with Hampton Affiliates executives, the people in charge of the Portland, Ore.based company that owns 90 per cent of the mill.
Dozens of workers chastised the company for its safety record, citing problems with long shifts that left little time for maintenance and cleanup, and supervisors ignoring warnings of a gas smell some time before the explosion.
Everyone is aware they have found a body. [ The ceremony] brings everyone together. We’re all comforting each other, that’s what this is about.
JOHN BERTACCO
FATHER OF BFP WORKER
Hampton CEO Steve Zika, flanked by several other company officials, thanked one speaker for his “sincere” comments.
“I’m terribly sorry. If I could turn back the clock, I would,” he said to those gathered at the Island Gospel Fellowship Church.
One person in the audience thanked Zika for saying sorry, after which the crowd clapped.
Zika declined to be interviewed following the session, saying he had to recover from the onslaught of the workers’ testimonials. Hampton officials excluded media cameras from the meeting.
Later, at a second meeting Monday night, more than 500 people came to hear community, police, health, fire, provincial and first nations provide an update on the tragedy.
RCMP said now that a second body has been found, the focus will be on the cause of the explosion that destroyed the mill.
However, that will take some time as safety is a priority at the site, Burns Lake Staff Sgt. Grant Macdonald told the crowded church hall.
He said the large- scale investigation will include police fire investigators.
“We need to determine whether there is any criminal activity involved.”
Macdonald said it will take time to identify the human remains, but the coroner’s office will try to get them to the families as fast as possible.
Lake Babine Nation chief Wilf Adam said his community has been told that could take up to 30 days.
Jeff Dolan, director of investigations for Worksafebc, said his agency is also involved in a complex investigation that includes the site itself, as well as interviews with workers.
He said historical safety concerns being raised by workers — which included a previous fire, frozen pipes and other cold- weather concerns — will be investigated.
He invited all workers and others with knowledge of the mill and its history to come forward. “I assure you we will be following up with you,” he told the audience.
At the meeting, officials were told that not only is rebuilding the mill a priority, but finding interim support is also necessary.
One audience member said the mill should be rebuilt to respect the sacrifice of the two missing workers.
Hampton Affiliates’ Zika said the company has heard the community’s message, and its wish is to rebuild.
But he cautioned that only a secure timber supply will make it feasible to build a new mill.
The region has been hit hard by the mountain pine beetle epidemic, which is expected to reduce timber supply soon.
Throughout the day, mourning continued for the two missing workers.
Dozens of people gathered around Charlie’s big white four-by-four pickup truck, some weeping openly as former Lake Babine Nation chief Betty Patrick said a prayer.
“Comfort them ... their burning hearts,” said Patrick, just outside the doors of the Margaret Patrick Memorial Center.
The ceremony included a traditional native song — one that Charlie had liked — a plaintive sound in the falling snow and cold.
Family members had their arms around each other, and others pressed their hands up against the big truck, which had just been returned from the sawmill site.
One body was found near the periphery of the scene on Sunday afternoon and the other Monday afternoon, according to the B. C. Coroners Service.
“Because of the devastating nature of the fire and explosion, further testing will be required to confirm identification,” it said in a news release.
Charlie and Luggi had not been seen since the Babine Forest Products mill exploded and caught fire Friday at 8: 10 p. m. The accident sent 19 other employees to hospital, some with extremely serious injuries.
After news came that the second body had been found, David Luggi, Luggi’s uncle, said his family was feeling “terrible as you can imagine.”
“He was a textbook father, worked his entire [ 20- plus- year] career over at the Babine mill,” Luggi told The Sun. “He loved working there and people loved him on the production floor.”
Luggi said his brother and Robert’s father, Robert Sr., also worked at the mill and retired about three years ago.
The community is trying to support the victims and their families by throwing a fundraiser Saturday at 11 a. m. at the Burns Lake Legion, Luggi said. Organizers are hoping to gather donations of shampoo, toothpaste and household items to help the surviving victims and their families.
Burns Lake Indian Band chief Albert Gerow, who was at the hall, said the news of the first body’s discovery was not what the community was hoping to hear.
John Bertacco, whose son Blaine Williams was on shift during the explosion, took part in the prayer ceremony.
“Everyone is aware they have found a body. [ The ceremony] brings everyone together. We’re all comforting each other, that’s what this is about,” said Bertacco, who placed a hand on the truck along with others.
Frankie Erickson Sr., a neighbour, said Charlie loved his pickup truck. The truck was adorned with a pair of Vancouver Canucks flags, and as a Boston Bruins fan, Erickson said they had friendly arguments over hockey.
Charlie, who had three teenage children, loved aboriginal traditions, including powwows, which he would attend in places such as Williams Lake and Kamloops, said Erickson.
“He was funny. He loved people,” said Erickson.
“I just want him home,” he added sombrely.
Lake Babine Nation chief Adam asked those gathered at Margaret Patrick Memorial Center to respect grieving families by not saying anything about the finding of remains at the sawmill.
About 100 workers and families were gathered at the hall, just a stone’s throw away from the hospital where workers were shuttled the night of the explosion.
“It’s important for the police to be allowed to do their investigation,” Adam told people at the hall.
He also noted that families and workers were grieving heavily.
In an interview, Adam said he has been told by workers that Charlie, already burned himself, went into the building to help others. “He was a very kindhearted person,” said Adam.
Trieu Nguyen was waiting outside the mill for the return of his car. Five of his family members, including a brother hurt in the explosion, worked at the mill, and Nguyen is wondering about his future.
“All our eggs are in one basket,” observed Nguyen of the number of family members working at the mill.
Outside the meeting with company executives, veteran sawmill worker Frank Munger said he was cooling off from an angry delivery inside. He said he had told the executives to take their “heads out of their asses.”
“I told them make their next mill safer. This should have never happened,” said Munger, who had worked 24 years at the sawmill.
He said a safety concern had been freezing water pipes that broke in the days before the explosion because of a deep freeze.
Brian O’rourke, an official with the United Steelworkers union, which represents workers at the mill, attended the session. He said he couldn’t speculate if there was any connection between the pipes freezing and the explosion. He noted that other sawmills in northern B. C. had continued to operate during the deep freeze.
“There’s more questions than answers,” he said.