Epic explosion at this Sheboygan plant in 1982 injured 9. Smoke reportedly could be seen in Milwaukee.

SHEBOYGAN – The city has always been known for its furniture industry. On April 19, 1982, an epic explosion at the Thonet plant, sparked by sawdust, leveled the plant.

The Sheboygan County Historical Research Center said the boiler used to fire the dry kilns and supply heat throughout the plant was, at times, natural gas fired. But, at other times, the gas was shut down and the boiler was converted to using either sawdust or wood scrap as a fuel source. A perfect storm for an explosion and the ensuing fire was created. Negative back pressure sucked flames into the air system of the building and traveled quickly to all parts of the complex.

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Employees said the explosion shook the whole place. It was reported that the inferno was like a big wind, like a tornado, nearly blowing them out of the doors of the plant. Windows on the first floor were shattered. There were reports that smoke could be seen as far away as Milwaukee. Many employees rescued finished furniture from the blaze. Nine employees were injured.

Firefighters came to aid from five different departments in Sheboygan County, using 6 million gallons of water to extinguish the blaze.

A 1982 Press clipping detailing the fire said Sheboygan Fire Chief Walter Wagner, with only a year in his job, was worried about the fire because of the structure involved. Thonet Industries was made up of four buildings — two wood-frame structures and two brick buildings. Inside, there was more wood — for the table and chairs produced by the company — and the wood floors throughout.

With one eye on the fire while he was talking to reporters at the scene, Wagner said, "Anytime you have a fire in a wooden building, it's a problem because the fire can spread so rapidly."

RELATED - A link to the front page story of the Thornet Fire

At the time. the remaining brick building portion had concerns of its very own. That area contained the finishing department for tables and chairs, which contained volatile chemicals — lacquers, thinners, stains and paint. Chief Wagner said that having an explosion in that area of the plant was a definite danger.

It seemed that even before the last wisp of smoke from the fire had ceased, there were endless questions if the company would rebuild and remain in Sheboygan.

Thonet President John Reiderer announced Aug. 20 that the local operation would be phased out by the end of 1983 with the work being done in Sheboygan transferred to the company's plants in York, Pennsylvania, and Statesville, North Carolina.

A Press clipping said that announcement was a crushing blow to the 180 employees who thought the firm would rebuild in Sheboygan after taking steps to acquire temporary facilities to resume production.

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The complex, built in 1888, consisted of wood and brick buildings and was home to one of Sheboygan’s premier furniture makers, a firm with a deep connection to the city and to the furniture industry in Europe.

Furniture making began with the Koen Brothers making reasonably-priced cane seat embossed maple chairs. By 1909, the company was known as American Chair.

During World War II, the company took vast orders from the government, much of their furniture seeing popular use at American bases in warm climates.

The company hummed along making furniture, and by the 1940s, European furniture-maker Thornet bought the company along with two other furniture plants in the United States.

After the war, the company began selling exclusively to businesses and institutions.

By 1969, the American Chair's name was changed to Thonet Industries and remained that way until the fire closed the Sheboygan location. The company would shift its focus on bentwood furniture at that time.

Multiple housing units today dot the block-long area where the sights and sounds of the woodworking trade once flourished.

Gary C. Klein can be reached at 920-453-5149 or gklein@gannett.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @leicaman99.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan Thonet plant explosion injured 9, Milwaukee could see smoke