A historic Wisconsin canal filled with butter Monday night after a fire broke out at a historic dairy plant.
Portage, Wisconsin firefighters were called to the Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) plant after 9:00 p.m. Monday for a fire alarm.
Butter runoff initially prevented fire crews from entering the building.
(Portage Fire Department)
Fire crews tried to gain access to the building, but heavy smoke and mainly butter runoff prevented them from entering, the Portage Fire Department said.
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Fire Chief Troy Haase told WMTV that the firefighters were “knee-deep” in butter.
“When we first tried to go up the stairs to that part that collapsed, the butter was running like 3 inches thick on the steps, so our guys were knee deep trying to climb the steps to get to the top. and they’re trying to drag the hose line, the hose line got so buttered up they couldn’t hold it anymore,” Haase said.
Fire melted butter in a storage room.
(Portage Fire Department)
The Fire Department later determined that the fire had started in the room where the butter was stored. As it heated up, the butter began to flow throughout the structure.
Crews extinguished the fire before it could spread beyond the fire breaks and throughout the building. A hazmat crew was called in to contain runoff into storm sewers and the gutter using a boom and other absorbents.
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No injuries were reported. The fire remains under investigation.
