A restoration team has given the Lac La Biche campus a thorough cleaning after a fire in the College's carpentry shop on Thursday afternoon. The team arrived on Friday evening and immediately began cleaning the air in the carpentry shop and adjoining hallways. The company declared the Lac La Biche facility a "clean burn" with a minimal amount of soot and no residual toxins. Ozone generators have been running throughout the cleaning process and air scrubbers will continue to run in certain areas of the College on Monday.

"We're very fortunate that the restoration team could make it to the campus so quickly and complete the majority of the cleaning work during the weekend," said Dr. Trent Keough, CEO and President of Portage College.

The Lac La Biche campus will be open Monday morning for staff and students, as the restoration team has deemed it as 100% safe working conditions. The carpentry shop will however stay closed on Monday as the restoration team concludes its air safety tests.

Portage College personnel from the Infrastructure and Facilities departments have been working throughout the weekend to ensure that the Lac La Biche campus can re-open on Monday morning.

"We want to thank the many staff that worked long hours through the weekend to make sure Portage College was ready to open its doors on Monday morning," Keough said. "This is a testament to the teamwork and excellence we cultivate in our staff."