CANTON, N.C. (From news reports) -- Canton's paper mill has filed a federal civil complaint against a contractor it claims started the fire that killed two contract employees in September 2020.

Evergreen Packaging is asking a jury to award more than $16,000,000 in damages.

The court action claims Blastco created unsafe conditions and breached its proposal for repair work when it used heat guns to work with what should have been known were flammable materials.

The "hot work," according to the complaint, was not part of the original purchase order for the repairs in a confined area of the Canton mill.

According to the complaint, the contractor's crew also didn't have fire extinguishers, which allowed the fire to spread to an area where other contractors were working, killing two workers.

OSHA has issued several citations against Blastco for workplace safety violations as part of its investigation.