A fire at the Huhtamaki paper product factory on College Avenue was extinguished quickly around 11:30 Wednesday morning.
Waterville Fire Chief Shawn Esler said smoke and flames originated from a machine a person had been working on at the time. “There’s nothing suspicious,” he said. “We believe the cause of the fire was accidental.”
Esler said that there were no injuries. He was unable to provide information about any damage done to the facility.
“A fire in the mill is not uncommon because of the processes they use to make paper products,” Esler said. “They’re not frequent, but they’re not uncommon.”
He added that these fires can be concerning “because of the sheer size of the mill and the amount of employees that Huhtamaki employs.” “We want to see Huhtamaki in business,” Esler said.