Alexandre Lemay & Sons sawmill destroyed by fire

The Alexandre Lemay & Sons sawmill in St-Bernard, Quebec was destroyed by fire on Sunday.

Firefighters fought the blaze for hours but the building was completely destroyed. A propane-powered generator is believed to be the cause of the fire.

23 workers at the sawmill are out of work.

Another 50 workers at a planing mill only two kilometers away are also out of work since that company relies on the lumber produced at Alexandre Lemay & Sons.

Gilles Lemay operated the sawmill with his brothers.

"It's not easy. We saw all our work for a number of years go up in smoke — and we think of those who were going to take over after us, because we had many of our children working with us," said Gilles Lemay.

Lemay said he and his brothers have not yet decided if the mill will be rebuilt.