Covered Bridge Potato Chip factory in Hartland burns down

There is an active fire at Harland's Covered Bridge Potato Chip factory, a major employer in the town.

The call came in at 6 p.m., said RCMP Cpl. Dan Sharpe. He said 20 to 30 employees were safely evacuated.

Hartland, Woodstock, Lakeville, and Florenceville-Bristol fire departments are on scene, in addition to the RCMP and Woodstock police for traffic control, Sharpe said.

The building is located right off the Trans-Canada Highway near the local hospital. Police are asking people to stay away from the area.

Sharpe said the cause is still under investigation but that firefighters suspect the facility cannot be saved. The fire was still burning as of 8:30 p.m., and neighbours told CBC News that fire trucks were seen making repeated runs into town for water fill-ups.

The factory is locally owned and a major employer in the town, the mayor said. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

"Any time that a family is willing to have a business that is not only located in Hartland but serves the Hartland people, it's a wonderful addition to the community," said Hartland Mayor Tracey DeMerchant.

The company's website says it was started by Matt and Ryan Albright in 2004 as a potato distribution company, and expanded to potato chips in 2009. The site says it's a fourth-generation family farming business, where more than 500 acres of potatoes are grown each year for chip manufacturing.

"It's just heartbreaking to think that the Albright family is going through this. I'm just shocked, I can see it from my home like a lot of people in the area, and it's overwhelming," DeMerchant said, adding that the company has been successful "worldwide."

The fire was called in at 6 p.m., RCMP said. (Submitted by Andre Lajoie)

She said the town will support the business in the coming days and will be reaching out to the owners.

"We are a close-knit community, and we either know someone who works there or has family who works there, so we're all hit by this loss," DeMerchant said.

"This is people's livelihood and this is someone's business that they've grown from the bottom up. It's devastating."