Not surprisingly, some roofing materials in the former Willamette Industries sawmill storage buildings that were destroyed by arson last month, contain asbestos, according to Ralph Wyatt, county administrator.
Wyatt said the county contracted with W.L. Thomas Environmental to complete an assessment of the site that burned Oct. 31.
“We just received the initial report,” Wyatt said Monday. “It suggests we separate the roofing materials that contain asbestos from those that don’t and then ship the asbestos-containing materials in sealed dumpsters to an appropriate disposal site.”
Wyatt said the materials are intermingled at this time.
“The good news is that it’s the rainy season and we don’t believe these materials will go anywhere; they won’t fly around the neighborhood,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt said the initial estimate is that it will cost about $132,000 to complete the asbestos removal and transfer.
Wyatt said the county will continue to monitor the site and do more assessment.
“In the meantime, we will look for state or federal funding to help with this,” Wyatt said. “We don’t see this posing a risk to anyone. We’ve installed a fence, so people should not be on that site.” About 5 p.m. Oct. 31, the Sweet Home Police Department and Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District were notified of a possible fire near the mill at 2210 Tamarack.
When they arrived, they found the large lumber and plywood storage buildings were on fire. The three-sided buildings that were several hundred feet long and wide were destroyed in the blaze.
The following day, a 14-year-old Sweet Home boy, Charles James Marvel, was taken into custody and charged with second-degree arson.