A Whareora sawmill badly damaged by fire on Saturday night is expected to be fully back in business by the end of January.
Fears that the fire could mean job losses were allayed yesterday when Rosvall Sawmill operations manager Greg Jobe assured the 12 directly affected workers that they could look
forward to Christmas knowing there would still be work for them in the New Year.
Most of them are expected to be involved in the clean-up once investigators have cleared the scene, while others will take their holidays during the rebuilding.
"We do have an annual holiday period when the sawmill is closed for maintenance work, so we expect considerable time to be taken up on that," co-director Shayne Heape said.
Firemen were yesterday sifting through the debris left behind as preliminary investigations got under way.
The boiler house, which powers the wood-drying kiln, was destroyed but firefighters were able to save the milling area and the processed timber ready for export.
Mr Heape said a similar fire destroyed a different section of the building seven or eight years ago.
"We're going to build differently this time around ... Obviously there'll be increased fire safety measures."
He said the company was moving fast to minimise disruptions to its overseas markets and would make use of other North Island sawmillers, particularly in Auckland and Mt Maunganui, for processing while its kiln was out of action.
The damaged sawmill can still cut timber but cannot dry it.
Damage to the mill, which is insured, was put at more than $1 million.
Six fire engines and about 30 firefighters took about an hour to get the blaze under control late on Saturday night.
