UPDATE 1PM
WAUKESHA COUNTY- More than a dozen fire departments were called to respond to a massive fire at the Sommerset Marine Construction facility in Eagle following an early morning explosion.
During an update at noon, officials said a total of six people were injured; three civilians and three firefighters.
One person was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and one fire fighter was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The other four people were treated at the scene.
Matt Haerter with the Southeastern Wisconsin Incident Management team says that while the exact cause of the fire is under investigation, they believe it started in the building’s ‘fuel farm’ which houses diesel fuel
Haerter says firefighters had a difficult time getting the blaze under control because where the facility is located is not near any fire hydrants.
“We have units that are coming from as far away as Kenosha County and as north as Milwaukee and up into Washington, Haerter said. “This is not because of the fire itself but because of the massive amount of water needed to extinguish it.”
Haerter says an explosion caused a portion of the building to collapse, which made it difficult for firefighters to make progress into the facility.
He says fire suppressant efforts will likely continue for the next several hours.
ORIGINAL POST
WAUKESHA COUNTY- Several fire crews are on scene at Sommerset Marine Construction in Eagle after a possible explosion rocked the facility this morning.
The Kettle Moraine Fire Department says the explosion and fire started just before 8 o’clock this morning.
The Fire Department tells WTMJ that getting enough water to the site has been difficult because there are no fire hydrants nearby.
Administrators at Eagle Elementary school, which is about 1/4 of a mile from Summerset, tell our news partners at TMJ4 that the blast was so strong that the building ‘seemed to shake’ for a few seconds.
According to its website, Sommerset Marine offers pier construction service. The 24-thousand square foot facility is located on Chapman Lane in Eagle.
This story is in progress and will be updated.
