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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 6:55 p.m. ET: SARTELL, Minn. -- An explosion and fire on Monday at the Verso paper mill in Sartell killed one person and injured at least four others, authorities said.
The fire sent heavy black smoke pouring out of the center of mill.
A full shift had been working inside the mill when an air compressor exploded about noon, Verso spokesman Pat Gibney told the St. Cloud Times.
The fire was in an area where wood products are located. Fire officials were not worried about chemicals, and the local neighborhood was not evacuated, according to the St. Could Times.
Officials did not release the name of the person killed. The four injured people were taken to area hospitals, the newspaper reported.
According to KARE 11 TV in St. Paul, Minn., Dan McClure, who lives near the plant, was mowing his grass when he heard a sound that sounded like thunder. He said smoke was black and thick, but appeared to later thin out a bit.
Matt Dahl, another resident in the area, said there was one huge explosion that shook his whole house. He told KARE11 TV he ran outside and saw black smoke and flames shooting up into the sky.
The city of Sartell has nearly 16,000 residents. The mill in Sartell, established in 1905, produces lightweight coated papers for printing, according to the Verso website.
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Leave a Comment:
Damn! you got deleted already? Did you say something stupid like GOOD?
Anyway it's good to hear that nobody got seriously hurt.
Minnesota needs a break after the bridge collapse.Jesse Ventura,Al franken,and Brett Farve.
Hopefully something good comes their way soon. This cheesehead will be sending good thoughts your way.
WOW, you really lack comprehensive reading skills, yes no one got seriously hurt.........other than the one that DIED.
Thanks gollie, yes we need all the help we can get! Did not know you were a neighbor.
This sounds more like another cost savings idea gone bad .
When was the last time that air compressor was HYDRO— STATIC Tested ????? When was the last time the compressor head was inspected and or rebuilt ??? What about the electrical connections and motor ??? This is one of those tragic accidents which could have been prevented . Pin this one on cost cutting by upper management .
bob
Really!!!! "fur otehrs", four others".
Learn to Spell! Proof read!
They really did have that one coming. No-one can deny that.
Furry otters?
Really!!! "fur otehrs", "four others"!!!! Learn to spell! And, proof read! Where are the editors?!
Sorry for posting twice.
Maybe they will makes changes.
Maybe they will makes changes.
No problem.
"Anyway it's good nobody got hurt"
THE HEADLINE SAID
1 DEAD, 4 hurt in paper mill explosion, fire
So I have a suggestion, why not concentrate on the hellhole YOU live in
instead of your neighbors ?
I think Scott Walker will be remembered LONG after the rest of the country has forgotten about Jesse Ventura
Bridge collapse vs collapse of democracy
Farve always was just another Wisconsin problem dumped on MN
and MN has a new $400 Mill gift to the Vikings in the form of another new stadium...
while Green Bay continues to play in a dump .
You see air compressors everywhere in businesses and industrial facilities. The tanks do become dangerous over time from corrosion. Draining these tanks at least once daily will help keep the corrosion down.
My prayers are for everyone at that plant and their families.
Chuck Norris did it. The trees are trying to get away from him too and they fought back......finally!
Mr. Fids: Try to stay on the subject.
MSNBC screws up again with their editing.
Sorry for the family and friends of the person who lost their life and for the injured.
I'm going out on a limb here and say OSHA will soon be making a visit to whats left of the plant. It will be interesting to see if the maint crew/budget was reduced due to cut backs.
I'll bet, if thats the case, it would have been cheaper to retain the crew/budget then pay the fines and settle the lawsuits from the dead persons family and the wounded workers.
But, it's early yet. Could have nothing to do with my theory at all. Time will tell.
An article dated 10/11/2011 on the Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal website says that they were laying off 175 of the employees at this plant. (The layoffs were set for Christmas eve. Bet that made for a Merry Christmas for those that got laid off, no?) So you may be right about the maint. crew. The article doesn't say which areas the layoffs would affect.
Oh no! Not the fur otehrs!
This is a day that will live in infamy.
Fur others were once used to make clothing. The bald ones were left alone.
Updated at 6:55 p.m. ET: SARTELL, Minn. -- An explosion and fire on Monday at the Verso paper mill in Sartell killed one person and injured at least fur otehrs, authorities said. Dyslexia much???????
No one's noticed the missing "the" lol...
Center of THE mill.
Can't you people check your damned articles? Seriously? How can we expect people to be intelligent when stuff like this is running around?
If it is anything like where my dad works (a paper mill) the whole place has paper dust lodged iin the rafters and any nook or cranny that is not cleaned regulary add that with the saw dust and not a good mix
It probably was a dust explosion, which happens in grain elevators more frequently then one would think.
I'd like to see just a little awareness of the thousands of people per year who lose their lives in the course of performing their daily duties at work. Without their scarifice, our society could not exist. We rightfully take the time to commorate the sacrifices of those who fight wars on our behalf, why not the same for those who die laboring on behalf of our general welfare?
I hope the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota is okay.
the biggest ball of twine is about 40 miles from the paper mill. since there was no damage to my place which is about the halfway point between the mill and the ball of twine I am sure the ball of twine is fine. I have taken my kids to see the ball of twine.
My condolences to the family & friends of the deceased.
According to the article on KNSIradio(dot)com, there was a lot of damage to the business meaning that a good number (if not all) of the employees won't be able to work. Hopefully, there's some sort of compensation plan in place for situations like this. There's too many people in our country that are out of work or struggling to get by already.
It's sad that this tragedy is kind of over shadowed by the horrible typos.
I drove by the mill at about 9 tonight and there is a big chunk of it missing. My wife heard the explosion and we live 20 miles away.
Were those workers getting extra pay for working on a holiday? No mention of that, just some misspelled words or two.