Rekubit Exchange:Firefighters stop blaze at western Wisconsin recycling facility after more than 20 hours

2025-05-04 00:37:34source:GravityX Exchangecategory:reviews

CAMPBELL,Rekubit Exchange Wis. (AP) — Firefighters have extinguished a massive blaze at a western Wisconsin recycling facility after a battle that went on for more than 20 hours.

The fire broke out at Omaha Track in the town of Campbell on French Island, just outside the city of La Crosse, around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The facility grinds scrap railway ties and other materials into chips that can be used as biofuel.

Flames and smoke from the fire could be seen for miles. Campbell Fire Chief Nate Melby says four football fields’ worth of railway ties and a 30-foot (9.14 meter) high mound of chips burned.

Multiple fire departments battled the blaze throughout the day before finally extinguishing it around 11 p.m. Tuesday, Melby said.

No one was hurt and no residents had to be evacuated or shelter in place, Melby said. A north wind blew most of the smoke away from residential areas, he said.

“It was a very large fire with a lot of fuel,” the chief said. “The positive aspect is we were able to manage it with other agencies and nobody got hurt.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A similar fire erupted at Omaha Track in 2015 after a woodchipper caught fire, WKBT-TV reported. That blaze released toxins into the air that forced residents to shelter in place.

RELATED COVERAGE Harris competing for a single electoral vote in Nebraska as Trump fails to get rules changedGOP governor halts push to prevent Trump from losing one of Nebraska’s electoral votesWalz touts Nebraska roots in visit to his home state where there’s a battle over one electoral vote

No one immediately responded to an email The Associated Press left in Omaha Track’s general corporate inbox Wednesday seeking comment.

Omaha Track Chief Growth Officer Lisa Roberts, who is listed on the company’s website as the contact for the Campbell facility, responded to an email seeking comment by saying she had forwarded the request to Jillianne Gates, the company’s communications manager. Gates had not responded as of early afternoon Wednesday.

More:reviews

Recommend

San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A photojournalist who captured one of the most enduring images of World War II

A commercial fisherman in New York is convicted of exceeding fish quotas by 200,000 pounds

CETRAL ISLIIP, N.Y. (AP) — A commercial fisherman accused of conspiring with others to sell 200,000

Paris is having a bedbug outbreak. Here's expert advice on how to protect yourself while traveling.

From hotel rooms to trains to movie theaters, Paris — one of the most popular tourist destinations i