Fire at UPM Pulp Mill in Finland Causes Chimney Collapse and Damage to Production Facilities

A major fire broke out at UPM’s pulp mill in Pietarsaari, Finland, on Monday morning, causing one of the factory’s chimneys to collapse and damaging several production facilities. No injuries were reported.

The fire started shortly before 10:30 a.m. local time in the factory area. According to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, the blaze originated near a conveyor line, although the exact cause remains unknown. The fire was brought under control shortly after noon, with firefighting and subsequent extinguishing operations expected to continue throughout the day.

The incident damaged the mill’s conveyor line and factory building, with particularly significant damage reported in the pulp digester and bleaching department. The digester is used to process wood chips into pulp, while the bleaching department handles the subsequent pulp bleaching process.

According to Linus Östman, an on-duty rescue service officer, the fire likely started in a smaller pipe chimney associated with the pulp bleaching process. He said the industrial facility had the potential for a much larger fire, but emergency services managed to contain the incident relatively quickly.

The fire produced thick black smoke and flames from the chimney before the structure collapsed. Emergency responders also inspected the factory building and its piping systems to ensure that the fire had been completely extinguished.

UPM said the extent of the damage would be assessed and that an investigation into the cause of the fire would be conducted in cooperation with the authorities.

The pulp mill was already undergoing a production shutdown that began in October, according to the company.

The affected Alholma industrial area also houses Billerud's paper mill, Walki's paper converting facility and the Alholmens Kraft power plant. Approximately 2,000 people work in the industrial area, which accommodates around 60 companies.