Fire, explosions at asphalt plant in Kimball probed

KIMBALL, Wis. - An early Saturday fire that caused a series of explosions at a blacktop company's quarry in Kimball is under investigation by the Iron County Sheriff's Department.

The state fire marshal's office was called in to the investigation of the fire at the Northwoods Paving site, according to Lt. Paul Samardich, an investigator with the Iron County Sheriff's Department.

Samardich said on Saturday afternoon that the fire of unknown origin produced a series of explosions that could be heard for long distances.

A dispatcher at the sheriff's department said the fire was reported before 7 a.m. on Saturday, but was uncertain when it started.

Spectators at the Saxon Fourth of July parade on Saturday said the blasts were heard in Saxon, about seven miles away.

A front-end loader was damaged in the fire, Samardich said, but there was no early assessment of total damages.

A damaged trailer that was visible not far off U.S. 2, at the entrance to the blacktop plant, was not involved in the blasts.

The U.S. 2 site has been the scene of numerous recent demonstrations against the asphalt plant during the height of the area paving season, protesting the company's alleged adverse effects on the environment. Samardich said Saturday whether sabotage played a role in the explosions could neither be confirmed nor denied early in the investigation.

There was scattered lightning and storms throughout the area on Friday evening and early Saturday morning, along with numerous area residents' fireworks blasts.

The highway entrance to the plant was cordoned off over the weekend and there were several law enforcement officers at the scene.

Northwoods Paving's main office is in Ashland. The company became a division of Mathy Construction in 1995 with the purchase of Roffers Construction Company's paving operations in Ashland.