RILEYVILLE — A fire spread through a hemp drying facility north of Honesdale on Friday, causing extensive damage. The Equinunk Volunteer Fire Department responded to the HV Bioprocessing facility on Hancock Highway near Rileyville, PA in the Town of Lebanon.

According to Equinunk Fire Chief Darryl Gill, the fire started around 10:28 a.m. in one of the drying rooms. There were five employees inside the facility who all made it out safely. One firefighter was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation but later released in good condition.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to see large plumes of smoke rising from the building. Chief Gill said the facility was equipped with a sprinkler system which helped to slow the fire's spread until emergency crews could arrive. Still, at the end of the day the damage was done.

“Probably three quarters of the building is a total loss,” Gill said. The loss includes much of the facility's machinery and drying equipment.

Firefighters from multiple departments spent several hours on the scene to bring the fire under control. A pond near the facility and another pond about half a mile from the scene provided good sources of water, which the firefighters blasted into the building's windows and through a hole cut into the roof to help vent the smoke. Chief Gill said the pond near the facility is the same one used by the building's sprinkler system.

Chief Gill was on the scene again on Saturday. The fire marshal already surveyed the damage and is expected to return to determine the cause of the fire. Chief Gill said an investigation is still ongoing, but it's possible the fire could have started with one of the facility's fans.

The Equinunk Volunteer Fire Department was assisted by the Honesdale Fire Department, Seelyville Fire Company, Pleasant Mount Emergency Services, Northern Wayne Fire Company, Hawley Fire Department, White Mills Volunteer Fire Department and the Callicoon Fire Department.