By Kim McDarison
OSI, 1200 Industrial Drive, Fort Atkinson, was the scene of a stack fire Saturday.
Fort Atkinson Fire Department Division Chief Mike Lawrence said Sunday that the Fort Atkinson Fire Department was initially alerted to a call of an activated automatic fire alarm and while on route to the scene learned that flames were visible on the roof of the food processing company’s building.
When firefighters arrived there was “actual fire on the roof and inside the building by Fryer No. 1,” Lawrence said.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated because there was fire inside of the building, Lawrence added.
Departments from within Rock and Jefferson counties arrived, Lawrence said, adding that of the departments responding, he believed the Janesville Fire Department came the furthest distance.
“Fire was coming out of the stack on the roof and piping on the roof,” Lawrence said.
He described the building as a large warehouse-type structure used for food processing.
Upon arrival, Lawrence said, firefighters worked to identify the location of the fire within the building.
Approximately 14 firefighters from the Fort Atkinson Fire Department, with assistance from approximately 25 to 30 firefighters from other departments, arrived at the scene.
Firefighters remained on the scene until 2 a.m. Sunday morning to extinguish the fire and check for extensions, Lawrence noted.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he added.
No injuries or loss of life were sustained during the fire.
Lawrence described damage to the building that included an exhaust system, piping, and a portion of the ceiling inside the fryer room area. He also noted some water damage sustained after the building’s sprinkler heads were activated.
Lawrence said the fire department has responded to stack fires at OSI in the past, describing Saturday’s fire as “a little more extensive.”
According to the company’s website, OSI, which is headquartered in Aurora, Ill., operates a 140,000-square-foot facility in Fort Atkinson.
OSI, as described on the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce website, is an On-Cor Frozen Foods, LLC company, offering a wide variety of fully-cooked meat products.
OSI is located in the Klement Industrial Park on the southwest side of the city.
Fort Atkinson Fire Department, file photo/Chris Spangler.
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