Putnam County Fire Department puts out fire at Georgia-Pacific paper mill

PALATKA, Fla. – The Putnam County Fire Department ramped up to battle a sawdust fire Tuesday morning at the Georgia-Pacific plant just north of Palatka, even requesting assistance from neighboring Clay County.

Within 30 minutes, firefighters said the fire was contained to one paper machine and the assistance was canceled. There were no injuries, although the Putnam County fire chief said one firefighter was taken to the hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion.

The plant, on County Road 216, makes paper towels and toilet paper. According to information from 2018, the plant employs 900 people.