The investigation into the three-alarm fire that raged last month at a wood processing facility in Henniker has concluded.
The cause of the fire at Cousineau Forest Products was ruled undetermined, but there is no evidence it was maliciously set, said Fire Investigator Anthony Booth of the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office in Concord.
“Unfortunately, the fire caused an extensive amount of damage to the structure I believe it originated at, and due to this, I could not determine what caused it,” Booth said.
Firefighters from throughout the region responded to the facility at 1310 Old Concord Road on the afternoon of May 31 after a neighbor reported seeing thick smoke in the area. The fire first ripped through a 40-by-80-foot building that housed one-of-a-kind machinery for wood processing, officials said. Strong winds then caused the fire to quickly spread into a nearby treeline at the 26-acre site.
The family-owned business processes wood into playground surfacing, biomass fuel, chips and bark mulch. Booth said the fire spread to involve acres of wood chips and mulch, resulting in a large blaze.
“There are several possible reasons the fire could have started but the loss of physical integrity of the structure makes it impossible to scientifically prove the cause, thus we’re left with undetermined,” Booth said.
Despite the extensive damage on site, Cousineau’s owner and his management team said customers would not be turned away and that mobile-diesel-powered equipment would allow them to keep business flowing during the rebuild.
“We’ll be able to process the same amount of product. It won’t be as efficient as the electrically-powered machines but it’ll get the job done,” General Manager Curtis Richmond said at the fire scene on June 1. “It won’t be a moneymaker but it’ll satisfy my customers until we get up and running again.”
The machinery used to make playground chips was specialized and handmade. It’ll have to be rebuilt piece by piece.
Randy Cousineau, the president of Cousineau Forest Products, said the fire caused an estimated half a million dollars in damage. Cousineau, who is based in Wilton, Maine, took over operations at the wood processing facility in Henniker about three years ago.