September 25, 2017 at 4:31 p.m.
Early morning fire damages Rhinelander plant
Red Arrow Products suffers minor damage in Monday blaze
Early morning fire damages Rhinelander plant
According to Rhinelander Fire Department Lt. Mike Wesle, a call came in at approximately 6 a.m. reporting a fire at Red Arrow Products, 4000 Red Arrow Drive.
"When we arrived, we had fire and heavy smoke showing," Wesle said. "After the fact, they discovered it (the fire) was in some kind of air handling equipment on the west side of the building. Within a couple minutes of arriving, we were able to lay a couple of attack lines and knock the majority of the fire down."
He said Rhinelander firefighters were on scene for about two hours, along with elements of the Crescent and Newbold fire departments. They spent most of that time making sure the fire had not spread undetected, he said.
Wesle said the fire did not spread because the room it was in was encased in concrete, although there is a conveyor belt that runs through the area.
"It held most of it in there," Wesle said.
He said all off-duty Rhinelander firefighters were recalled.
"We had a crew back here (at the station) to staff an ambulance, but everyone else was at the scene," he said.
Wesle said he had no information as to cause of the fire or an idea as to how long the plant would be shut down.
"I asked them if they had a timeline and it sounded like they weren't sure," Wesle said. "It sounded as if they were going to be down for what I would consider for a considerable amount of time."
Red Arrow Products plant manager Tyler Kirby declined to comment on the fire.
According to their website, Red Arrow Products is headquartered in Manitowoc and manufactures products for seasoning and smoking food.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.