An early morning fire on October 12 destroyed a horizontal directional drill rig and support equipment at an Enbridge construction site on the Line 5 reroute in the Township of White River, Ashland County.
Ashland County sheriff’s deputies arrived near Wilson Road around 5:20 a.m. and found two boring machines involved in the blaze, according to local reports. No one was hurt. Graffiti was also found at the site.
Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner called the fire an act of vandalism and said it was the second major incident involving construction equipment on the project. “These incidents put the local community, landowners, first responders and our workers at risk and result in environmental impacts,” she said. The company stated it supports the right to express opinions legally and peacefully, but “acts that damage property and put people or the environment at risk are neither legal nor peaceful.”
The blaze follows two other fires targeting Enbridge properties in September. On September 17, a fire damaged drilling equipment at a Line 5 site in the Town of Gingles, Ashland County. On September 14, a fire broke out at an Enbridge office building in Superior, where investigators also found graffiti. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating those earlier incidents, according to Enbridge and local reports. The FBI confirmed it is working with local, state, and federal partners on the Ashland County fire.
The $1 billion Line 5 Wisconsin Segment Relocation Project is building a 41-mile pipeline around the Bad River Reservation in Ashland and Iron counties. Line 5 moves up to 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids each day from Superior to Sarnia, Ontario, supplying 10 refineries and propane facilities in the Great Lakes region.
Enbridge said it will fully cooperate with authorities to hold those responsible accountable. The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office asks the public to report any suspicious activity related to the October 12 fire at 715-373-6120.
These repeated attacks have happened while construction continues on the federally approved reroute. Enbridge has called earlier fires the work of “criminal saboteurs” who put workers, first responders, and the local community in danger. Investigations are still open, and no suspects have been named.
