By Todd Richmond
The Associated Press
ST. ANNA, Wis. — A trash bin outside a Wisconsin foundry exploded, killing one firefighter and injuring at least nine others.
Calumet County Sheriff Gerald Pagel told The Post-Crescent of Appleton that the cause of the blast Tuesday night outside the Bremer Manufacturing plant near rural St. Anna was not immediately apparent.
Company president Tom Dolack said the fire broke out between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., but he had no more information on what may have caused it. He said the trash bin that exploded contained scrap aluminum.
A 33-year-old firefighter died at the scene, Calumet County Sheriff’s Deputy Brett Bowe told the Post-Crescent. Nine firefighters were injured, said Joyce Casper, a dispatcher with the sheriff’s department.
“We’re just devastated as a result of the death of a fireman and the injuries,” Dolack said at the plant. “It’s overwhelming for us as I’m sure it is for their families. This is a very close-knit community.”
Roger Brandt, 77, lives about a quarter of a mile from the plant. He said he saw smoke rising from the plant on Tuesday night. As he watched out the window he heard a “terrific boom” and red flames shot 100 feet into the sky over the building, Brandt said.
“It shook the windows. I wondered what happened to the place,” he said.
The Bremer plant sits on the side of a hill in the countryside. Outside the plant near a loading dock Wednesday, an investigator from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration milled around a twisted slab of blackened metal and blackened barrels resting on a bed of ashes.
A U.S. flag flew at half-staff outside the plant.
According to its Web site, Bremer specializes in producing aluminum sand castings that are then used by other manufacturers. Bremer’s Web site says it employs 120 people and melts about 375,000 pounds of aluminum a month.
The site says the company started in Milwaukee in 1937.
| Treat dumpster fires as if they are bombs By Chief Billy Goldfeder While it is certainly too early for the exact details on what happened last night, I know that most of us, when we heard about it shook with sadness as dumpsters are always the ultimate “unknown”. We absolutely NEVER know what is in a dumpster and in this case, St Anna Firefighters responded, as any of our FD’s would have, and were met with a horrific blast (as seen by the photos on our home page and the tragic death of a Firefighter). It easily could have been ANY of us. Easily. Because dumpster fires are so common, it would be easy for any of us to approach and hit the fire with a hand line-as if nothing will go wrong. It’s worked that way thousands of times with no problem. We get comfortable. Full PPE? No Exposed Skin? SCBA? Water? Booster? 1-3/4"? Toss some Foam? Hit it with a Deck Gun? Let it burn? Exposures? Other Hazards? Could it explode? How Do You Know? What’s in there? Approach? Access? What’s in that dumpster that’s worth any risk to Your FF’s? But we DO get comfortable because 99% of the time nothing does go wrong. BUT consider the fact that since we never have any idea WHAT is in any dumpster at any time-we must operate as if the WORST possible conditions exist-with the worst possible results. EXPECT something to go wrong on any run-and in this case DUMPSTER FIRES. There is NOTHING to be saved at a dumpster fire-and that’s probably the best way to act when we arrive. It’s literally a pile of sh!t burning. Stuff no want wants. No value. BREATHE non of that crap and attempt to position ourselves (if we even have to get close) with the LEAST possible exposure to what is burning-and what MAY go wrong. HERE are some links with drills and related info for you about DUMPSTER fires: Dumpster fire drill |