RUMFORD – A small fire that began in the area of a boiler at the NewPage mill in Rumford Sunday afternoon caused minimal damage to the mill and its operation.

According to NewPage spokesperson Tony Lyons, the fire is believed to have started around the mill’s No. 6 boiler, which was shut down Saturday morning after experiencing technical difficulties.

Around 2 p.m. Sunday, the operating crew at the mill noticed a small fire burning in that area and called the NewPage security crew.

“We call small, isolated fires like this a ‘smudge,'” Lyons said.

Because the fire was in such a tight, hot area, the mill’s security crew had to cut away a part of the roof to gain access to the flames, Lyons said.

The crew, assisted by the Rumford Fire Department, had the fire out within two hours, according to Lyons.

As a precaution, the Rumford Fire Department is always called in to assist with fires at NewPage, Lyons said.

“Right now, it looks like debris around a hot steam valve of the boiler is what ignited,” Lyons said. “We’ll know more after we complete a more thorough investigation.”

The portion of the mill that the fire affected had been shut down earlier this weekend for routine maintenance work.

“The fire didn’t impact the operation of the mill at all,” Lyons said. “I’ve been told a small section of wall and a small section of roof sustained the majority of the damage.”