JAY – A cooling fan at Verso Paper overheated early Thursday, setting some wires on fire and scorching a nearby piece of staging wood, company spokesman Bill Cohen said.

The Androscoggin Mill’s fire brigade extinguished the fire with Jay firefighters called in as back-up, he said.

Jay Fire Rescue Chief Scott Shink said the town’s firefighters were only there about an hour.

The fan is part of a recovery boiler that Verso is going to rebuild in June and July, Cohen said.

The fire was reported at 3:33 a.m., according to the Franklin County sheriff’s dispatch log.

As of about 6 a.m., mill workers were already assessing damage and getting wiring repaired, he said. Damage to the cables was minor, he added, and there was no lost work time.

The rebuild of one of two recovery boilers is a big capital investment, Cohen said, but he didn’t know the cost off hand.

The recovery boiler is used in the pulping process to burn a liquid byproduct and recycle it to make it into steam and electricity to help run the mill.