Owner of Prince George mill that exploded appeals fines The owner of a Prince George mill that caught fire and exploded in April, 2012, killing two people and injuring 22 more, has filed an appeal of fines levied against it in connection to the incident. Lakeland Mills, a division of Sinclar Group Forest Products, says it is appealing the fines imposed by WorkSafe B.C. - which total about $724,000 - because to accept a regulatory sanction "would leave the wrong impression that Lakeland and its people were not diligent or were reckless," the company said Friday in a statement. "No appeal can change what happened, nor alter the impact on the lives of our employees, families who lost loved ones, the company and our community," the statement said. But "to leave a sanction unchallenged would not fairly reflect what Lakeland believes is the whole truth about this tragedy, the statement said, adding that, "If the company had foreseen the risk of a catastropic accident, those responsible for the operation of the mill would never have placed their people and the facility in harm's way." The Lakeland mill exploded in April 2012, just three months after a January sawmill explosion in Burns Lake that also killed two men and injured 19 other people. WorkSafe investigations found the conditions for a wood-dust explosion existed in both mills and recommended regulatory charges in relation to both incidents. The WorkSafe report on the Lakeland explosion said "this explosion was preventable" while the agency's review of the Babine Forest explosion said "effective actions...might have prevented" the incident. But the Criminal Justice Branch did not file charges, citing problems in the way WorkSafe carred out the investigations. In April of this year, WorkSafe imposed about $1-million in fines against Babine Forest Products. The company has appealed the fines. In July, the agency announced fines of $724,000 against Lakeland, including an administrative penalty and a claims cost levy. The company had 90 days to appeal that decision. Ronda Roche, whose husband Glenn Roche was killed in the 2012 Lakeland Mills explosion, said on Friday she was disappointed but not surprised that Lakeland was appealing the fines. "I probably would have been more surprised if they didn't appeal," Ms. Roche said. My concern is that they wait out the 90-day period - it's just another example of long, drawn-out processes without consideration for the families. Ms. Roche and others, including friends and family members of those killed and injured in the two explosions, have - so far without success - asked for a public inquiry into the incidents. A coroners inquest into both explosions is scheduled to being in March in Prince George.