It will likely take months to disclose what caused the death of Mika Sakari Saario.

The 44-year-old Prince George man was killed one week ago while dismantling a planer at the Conifex Mill in Fort St. James. He was an employee of Allen's Scrap and Salvage and was using a cutting torch to take apart metal components when some of it fell on him.

He died at the scene.

The lead agency in the investigation is WorkSafeBC working primarily with the BC Coroners Service on a joint probe into the fatality.

"We are in the very early stages of the investigation - the information gathering stage," said WorkSafeBC spokeswoman Donna Freeman.

"We are very sorry this happened and we extend our condolences to his loved ones," said Lorraine Ducharme, the vice-president of human resources and public relations at Conifex. "We can't say much due to the ongoing investigations. WorkSafeBC is doing theirs and Allen's Scrap and Salvage is doing an internal one as well. Conifex will also be doing a review of our own."

It is the second time in 11 weeks that a contractor has been killed while working at a Central Interior sawmill, the first being George Edwin Park, originally of Cluculz Lake, who died in an incident at Plateau Mill in Vanderhoof on May 3.

"I’m told the Plateau investigation is likely to be concluded in the fall. The findings are not ready yet," said Freeman.

Overall, four others - Carl Charlie, Robert Luggi, Glenn Roche and Alan Little - have died this year inside area sawmills. The first two were killed in the Babine Mill explosion Jan. 20, and the latter two died in the Lakeland Mill explosion on Apr. 23.