Fire at Festive Foods in Waupaca County. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
WAUPACA, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – Crews spent nearly 12 hours working to contain a fire at the Festive Foods plant in Waupaca County on Monday.
Waupaca Area Fire District Chief Jerry Deuman says the fire was caused by work being done in the compressor room at Festival Foods, causing sparks to spread into the walls.
Once they arrived, Deuman said they saw lots of black smoke and tried getting inside, but the smoke was so intense that they had to fight the fire from outside. “Everything is under control, there is some stuff that is smoldering right now, we had 2 excavators in here pulling everything apart,” he added.
Deuman anticipates there will be no further investigation associated with the incident.
The owner of Festive Foods, LLC, Michael Holmgren, says he’s grateful for emergency responders and their dedication, providing a glimpse into how the fire started. “It was in the back of the building, up in the roofline area,” he explained.
Holmgren says over 100 employees were working in the building when the fire broke out at 8:30 AM. All employees were able to evacuate safely.
Because of concerns about chlorine fumes, neighbors were asked to close their windows and stay inside their homes.
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