16 Fire Departments Respond to Blaze at Linde Plant16 Fire Departments Respond to Blaze at Linde Plant

16 fire departments from southern Wisconsin and parts of Illinois responded to a fire at the Linde North America air separation plant in Beloit, WI on Tuesday night that left a worker with burns.

The Beloit Fire Department responded to the scene at about 8:40 p.m., discovering flames and smoke in an electrical room at the plant, Rockford, IL-based television news station WIFR reported. Fire officials issued a MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) alarm, bringing 15 other fire departments from various municipalities to the facility.

Crews remained on scene for about two-and-a-half hours to knock down the fire because electrical components and backup systems had to be shut down, according to coverage by La Crosse, WI television news station WXOW. A worker was burned during the incident and transported to an area hospital for treatment.

An investigation into the fire was opened by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), agency officials told WXOW. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Opened in September 2008 with a capacity of 700 tn/day of liquid oxygen and nitrogen, Linde’s air separation plant in Beloit serves food processors, manufacturers of chemicals and metals, hospitals, and independent gas distributors, according to a press release announcing the start of operations. 

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