Firefighters remain at scene of explosions and fire in Eagle; at least 6 people were injured, officials say

EAGLE — A series of explosions and massive fire heavily damaged a marine construction business in the town early Thursday, injuring at least six people, prompting evacuations and bringing fire and emergency crews from throughout the region to the scene.

An emergency alert indicated the explosion happened at Summerset Marine Construction, W357 S8715 Chapman Lane. It's unclear what caused the blast.

At midday Thursday, officials were urging residents within a 1-mile radius to continue to shelter in place. Western Lakes Fire District Assistant Chief Matthew Haerter explained, "There is no immediate danger to the community. It is not a hazardous materials (situation). It's just a smoke issue."

Firefighters were dispatched at 7:44 a.m. and arrived within three minutes. Firefighters were unable to enter the building immediately because of the intensity of the fire, Haerter said. Employees were nearly all out when emergency crews arrived.

An employee who did not want to identify himself but who was in the building at the time of the fire told the Journal Sentinel that the fire and explosion began in the welding bay. The fire reportedly knocked the employee and another back. A co-worker pulled the employee out. That same coworker then went back in and pulled out another employee who suffered a broken leg.

Officials during a news conference said there were multiple explosions. A fire at the business remained active as of midday, and officials said it could be hours before it's extinguished.

Police said six people suffered injuries in the incident; three of them were firefighters who were treated for heat exhaustion.

Summerset Marine onwer Larry Chapman confirmed that the person that fire officials indicated had sustained "serious injury" was the worker with the broken femur, who was helped out of the building by other workers after the first explosion. He was in surgery as of noon Thursday.

"We'll get to the bottom of what happened, but for now we thank God that everybody is alive," Chapman said. "It looks like everybody is going to be OK."

Responding departments came from as far away as Milwaukee, Kenosha and Washington counties.

The fire could be seen from 3 miles away, a reporter on scene noted. At least 20 fire trucks were there actively, with many more coming in and out to bring water to fight the blaze. There are no hydrants near the fire, so firefighters have to truck in water, officials said. This is not uncommon for rural areas.

An unidentified worker at the neighboring Vick Trucking business said employees heard the explosion as they worked. They were evacuated from their building and were still being kept away hours later.

All employees at Summerset Marine Construction were accounted for

The county dispatch center initially reported that the center was being inundated with calls about the situation and that there were likely people injured in the blast.

Fire commanders immediately upgraded the call, and upon arriving, upgraded it a second time. Within minutes, fire and emergency medical crews from throughout the region were heading to the scene, according to dispatch audio. Also within minutes, a fire commander radioed that everyone inside the building had been accounted for.

The first police officers on scene requested emergency medical crews respond to the back of the building, according to dispatch audio.

Students and staff at Eagle Elementary School were evacuated to Palmyra Middle and High School as a precaution due to the elementary school’s proximity to the Summerset plant, according to the Palmyra-Eagle School District's public relations coordinator, Caitlin Kirchner. Everyone is safe, Kirchner said. Parents were able to pick up students from Palmyra Middle and High School. School was scheduled to resume as usual on Friday.

Overall, the company employs about 80 people in two locations; 24 were working in the Eagle building at the time.

The day shift usually begins at 6 a.m. at the Eagle facility, which is involved in construction and maintenance operations. Chapman did not specify what work was being done when the accident occurred.

Given that the building was an apparent total loss, Chapman said the business would consider its next steps, including whether to rebuild on site.

"We're going to get through this," he said. "It's a tough time for our company, but we'll buckle down, persevere and make sure people can provide for their families, and we'll take care of our customers."

What is Summerset Marine Construction?

Summerset Marine Construction bills itself as the largest pier and lift dealer in Wisconsin. It opened in 1990, according to the company's website.

Eagle is in southwestern Waukesha County about 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee.

Also contributing to this story were reporters Alec Johnson, Bob Dohr and Joe Taschler.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Explosions, fire at Summerset Marine Construction in Eagle, Wisconsin