Firefighters stop blaze at western Wisconsin recycling facility after more than 20 hours

By The Associated Press

CAMPBELL, Wis. (AP) — Firefighters have extinguished a massive blaze at a western Wisconsin recycling facility after a battle that went on for more than 20 hours.

The fire broke out at Omaha Track in the town of Campbell on French Island, just outside the city of La Crosse, around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The facility grinds scrap railway ties and other materials into chips that can be used as biofuel.

Flames and smoke from the fire could be seen for miles. Four football fields’ worth of railway ties and a 30-foot (9.14 meter) high mound of chips burned, Campbell Fire Chief Nate Melby said.

Multiple fire departments battled the blaze throughout the day before finally extinguishing it around 11 p.m. Tuesday, Melby said.

No one was hurt, and no residents had to be evacuated or shelter in place, Melby said. A north wind blew most of the smoke away from residential areas, he said.

“It was a very large fire with a lot of fuel,” the chief said. “The positive aspect is we were able to manage it with other agencies and nobody got hurt.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A similar fire erupted at Omaha Track in 2015 after a woodchipper caught fire, WKBT-TV reported. That blaze released toxins into the air that forced residents to shelter in place.

Omaha Track spokesperson Jillianne Gates said in an email to The Associated Press that company won’t speculate on the cause of the fire before the investigation is complete.

“Our focus remains on the safety of our employees, the community and the environment as we work through this process,” she said.