Fire, explosions hit Wis. chemical plant |
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Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:07
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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 have 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.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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