A fire at the Covered Bridge Potato Chips factory in Hartland, New Brunswick has completely destroyed the building, a major employer in the region.
Just before 6:00 p.m. on Friday night the call for the fire came, and 20 to 30 employees were safely evacuated.
Premier Blaine Higgs, Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Margaret Johnson, and Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Greg Turner, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities New Brunswick, released a joint statement on the fire on Saturday.
“Our thoughts are with the employees, their families and members of the surrounding communities who will be affected by this heartbreaking loss,” read the statement.
They also continued in the statement that there were not any reported injuries from the fire, and that the government is on the ground working with the company, providing whatever assistance is available.
“This is a major employer in the region and a devastating loss for the company’s owners, their employees, and families. Covered Bridge, which started production in 2009, has been a tremendous presence in the community and has helped to boost the local economy as a growing business and a tourism draw.”
The company’s website says it was originally a potato distribution company started by Matt and Ryan Albright in 2004, and later expanded to potato chips in 2009. It also says the company is a fourth-generation family farming business, and more than 500 acres of potatoes are grown each year for chip manufacturing.
