Verso Paper has decided against reopening the Sartell mill that was damaged by an explosion and fire on Memorial Day. 259 people had worked at the plant. A company executive says it was a difficult decision, but the mill had not been competitive in recent years. Verso says it will work with local officials on finding a new use for the site.

The shutdown of Sartell's Verso Paper Mill has created an economic ripple effect. Northern Minnesota loggers who sell their timber to the mill are feeling it, as are those who make and maintain the mill's equipment. Local officials want the state to help Verso repair the damage of last month's explosion and fire.

Small fires are still flaring up at the Verso paper mill, nearly a week after an explosion at the Sartell plant killed one worker and injured five others. On Sunday crews began demolishing the part of the plant where the explosion occurred. A city official says the hot spots pose no threat to public safety.

The owners changed over the years, but Sartell's paper mill has provided hundreds of jobs for more than a century. Those days are gone following Verso Paper's decision not to reopen the fire-damaged plant. Now Gov. Dayton will put together a task force to look at how to reuse the 37 acre site on the Mississippi River. Verso says it will share its list of potential buyers.

Verso Paper Corp. on Monday paid the city of Sartell in full – about $398,000 – for its response to a Memorial Day fire that ultimately led to the permanent closing of the company's paper plant, the St. Cloud Times reports. There were 92 agencies from across the state that helped fight the blaze and 68 of those sought repayment.

At least four investigations continue at the Verso Paper paper mill in Sartell in the wake of a Memorial Day explosion and fire at the plant. The probes are critical to answering questions about the mill’s future and efforts to put more than 250 people back to work.

In documents obtained by the St. Cloud Times, employees at the Verso Paper plant in Sartell describe to police how plant operations were halted in May for repairs, and that the plant was just being brought online again when an explosion and fire ripped through the facility, killing one and injuring four.

The Memphis-based paper company will wait to make any decision about reopening its Sartell mill until it has complete information on the damage caused by last month's explosion and fire. It could take a few months just to gather that information. The company says more than 5,000 tons of paper were destroyed in the accident that also killed one employee and injured four others.