As a result of the fire, the runoff seeped into surrounding storm drains as well as a large canal adjacent to the business, which ultimately clogged the waterway despite crews’ efforts to contain the spread, officials said.
The blaze broke out at a dairy processing and packing plant owned by Associated Milk Producers Inc. in Portage, a small city located 50 miles north of Madison, at 9 p.m. local time, according to the Portage Fire Department.
The fire began inside a room at the plant where butter was being stored, and the runoff occurred as a result of increasing heat throughout the building, fire officials said. The cause of the fire itself remains under investigation. There were no injuries in the incident.
After working to fight the fire for “multiple hours,” firefighters from multiple area departments were able to contain and extinguish the blaze “before it could spread past the firewalls and throughout the building,” the Portage Fire Department, emphasizing that “the butter runoff and heavy smoke slowed access to the structure.”
A HazMat team also responded to the blaze and “attempted to contain the runoff” flowing into the nearby storm sewers in addition to the Portage Canal. The canal, once used for commerce, is considered a historical landmark and plans for its restoration have been underway for years.
Firefighters battled a blaze at a Wisconsin dairy plant where melted butter flowed into storm drains and a canal.
Source: Portage Fire Department
“They placed boom and other absorbents to control the runoff,” said the fire department, noting that the Department of Natural Resources would evaluate any damages to drains and waterways.