Fire, Explosions Hit Wis. Chemical Plant
Pastor Dale Morgan
Fire, Explosions Hit Wis. Chemical Plant
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Friday June 22, 2007 11:46 PM
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) - Explosions sent fireballs hundreds of feet into
the air as flames gutted an industrial chemical recycling plant Friday
morning.
No injuries were reported and air monitoring had not picked up any
hazardous chemicals about nine hours later, State Patrol spokesman Brent
Pickard said.
Firefighters had the blaze at Waste Research and Reclamation ``pretty
well contained'' by 3 p.m., he said. A voluntary evacuation of everyone
within three-quarters of a mile of the heavily damaged plant was canceled.
The blaze broke out around 6 a.m. at the plant just south of Eau Claire,
in western Wisconsin.
Subsequent explosions sent balls of fire more than 300 feet in the air,
prompting firefighters to retreat from the site for several hours, Eau
Claire County Sheriff Ron Cramer said.
The fire started in the plant's processing plant and triggered a boiler
explosion, said Waste Research and Reclamation President Jim Hager. He
said about 10 workers were just finishing the night shift and were
unable to put out the flames with fire extinguishers.
``Everything I've heard indicated it started with electrical,'' Hager said.
He said the plant has chemicals that include flammable petroleum
products and a variety of paint solvents.
The air monitors were checking for 300 different chemicals, Pickard
said. He said experts believe what mostly was burning was alcohol,
though, which he said shouldn't cause significant environmental harm.