A worker was killed Wednesday morning at the Conifex lumber mill in Fort St. James.
The man was identified as Mika Saario, 44, a resident of Prince George.
Saario was an independent contractor in the latter stages of dismantling one of Conifex's two planer machines, sources said. He was working in an area alone but with others nearby. When they came to get him for a coffee break, he was deceased with a lit cutting torch still in hand.
"Preliminary information is that the worker was dismantling an elevated catwalk approximately 12 feet by 20 feet. As he cut some of the supporting elements, the remaining supports buckled and fell onto the worker," said Donna Freeman, spokeswoman for WorkSafeBC.
"Our officers are in the 'information-gathering' phase of the investigation and they will determine facts and eventually the cause of the incident."
Police were initially called to the scene as well, getting the emergency alert at about 11:15 a.m. North District RCMP spokeswoman Const. Lesley Smith said RCMP "determined that foul play is not a factor" and therefore handed the investigation over to the BC Coroners Service and WorkSafeBC.
The BC Coroners Service is conducting its own investigation, which will include an autopsy scheduled for today in Prince George.
Conifex was contacted to obtain comment, but no one from the lumber company responded by deadline.
Conifex has corporate offices in Vancouver and Prince George with mills in Fort St. James and Mackenzie. Conifex Timber reported a net loss of $6.5 million in its first quarter of 2012 and a net loss of $7.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2011.
This incident represents the sixth person killed so far this year while working inside a Prince George-area sawmill.
