Crews respond to massive fire at building off I-41 SB in Slinger

 

SLINGER, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Twenty-four hours after a massive structure fire in Washington County Sunday, May 21, fire crews remained on the scene throughout the day Monday, putting out hot spots.

The fire broke out just after 7 p.m. Sunday night in the Town of Polk at the Oak Creek Wood Products manufacturing company, just off of I-41.

Fire officials said the fire started on a pile of mulch, spread to a bed of wood pallets, eventually reaching two storage buildings and a nearby grassy area.

Fire officials said the wood content inside the building accelerated the flames.

"It’s a very fast-moving, very high fuel content fire, which spread very, very fast," said Brad Schaefer, assistant fire chief, Slinger Fire Department.

The fire called for more than 40 fire departments from six different counties. Most of the firefighters on scene were volunteers.

No fire hydrant was near the manufacturing company. Millions of gallons of water were shuttled in from neighboring towns throughout the day.

"It's something we address, we practice for, we train for every day, so it doesn’t hinder our operation, it just makes it a little more challenging," said Schaefer.

The fire chief went on to say, while the flames have died down, smoke might still be seen across the area for the next couple of weeks.

"There will be hot spots they'll be dealing with for quite some time," said Chief Schaefer.

Fire officials said no one was in the building at the time of the fire and no one was hurt.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Washington County Sheriff's Department.