Video: Scene explosion at Summerset Marine Construction in Eagle
Emergency crews worked to extinguish a reported explosion at Chapman Lane’s Summerset Marine Construction in Eagle on Thursday, May 19, 2022.
Mike de Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
EAGLE – A series of explosions and a massive fire severely damaged the city’s marine construction business early Thursday, injuring at least six people, evacuating and delivering fire and emergency crews from across the region to the scene.
The emergency signal indicates that the explosion occurred at Summerset Marine Construction, W357 S8715 Chapman Lane. It is unclear what caused the explosion.
At noon on Thursday, officials called on residents within a 1-mile radius to continue sheltering on the spot. Assistant Chief of Fire in the Western Lakes Matthew Haerter explained: “There is no immediate danger to the community. This is not a dangerous material (situation). It’s just a smoke problem.”
Firefighters were dispatched at 7:44 a.m. and arrived within three minutes. Firefighters were unable to enter the building immediately due to the intensity of the fire, Haerter said. The staff was almost all when the ambulance arrived.
An official, who did not want to be identified but was in the building at the time of the fire, told Journal Sentinel that the fire and explosion began in the welding section. The fire reportedly knocked down another employee. An associate pulled out the clerk. Then the same colleague came back and took out another employee, who got a broken leg.
Officials told a news conference that there had been multiple explosions. The business fire remained active until noon, and officials said it could take hours before it was put out.
Police said six people were injured in the incident; three of them were firefighters treated for heat exhaustion.
Somerset Marines Larry Chapman confirmed that the person the fire department said had suffered “serious injuries” was the worker with a broken femur, who was helped out of the building by other workers after the first blast. He was in surgery at noon on Thursday.
“We will get to the bottom of what happened, but for now we thank God that everyone is alive,” Chapman said. “Looks like everyone’s gonna be fine.”
The departments came from Milwaukee, Kenosha and Washington counties.
The fire was visible from 3 kilometers, a reporter noted on the spot. At least 20 fire engines were active there, with many more coming in and out to bring water to put out the fire. There are no hydrants near the fire, so firefighters must transport water, officials said. This is not uncommon in rural areas.
An unidentified worker at Vick Trucking’s neighboring business said employees heard the blast while working. They were evacuated from their building and were still being held away hours later.
All employees at Summerset Marine Construction were reported
Initially, the district dispatch center said the center was flooded with calls about the situation and that there were probably people injured in the blast.
Fire commanders immediately improved the call and upgraded it for the second time upon arrival. Minutes later, fire and emergency medical teams from across the region headed to the scene, according to the audio recording. Also within minutes, the fire chief announced on the radio that everyone in the building had been reported.
The first police officers at the scene asked emergency medical teams to respond in the back of the building, according to the audio recording of the dispatch.
Eagle Elementary School students and staff were evacuated to Palmyra High and High School as a precautionary measure due to the school’s proximity to the Summerset plant, according to Palmyra-Eagle School Public Relations Coordinator Caitlin Kirchner. Everyone is safe, Kirchner said. The parents managed to take students from the high school in Palmyra. School was due to resume as usual on Friday.
In total, the company employs about 80 people in two places; 24 were working at the Eagle building at the time.
The daily shift usually starts at 6 am at the Eagle site, which deals with construction and maintenance operations. Chapman did not specify what work was done when the incident occurred.
Given that the building is an obvious complete loss, Chapman said the business will consider its next steps, including whether to rebuild on site.
“We will go through this,” he said. “This is a difficult time for our company, but we will cling to it, persevere and make sure that people can provide for their families and we will take care of our customers.”
What is Summerset Marine Construction?
Summerset Marine Construction is considered the largest pier and elevator dealer in Wisconsin. It opened in 1990, according to the company’s website.
Eagle is in the southwestern county of Waukesha, about 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee.
Reporters Alec Johnson, Bob Dorr and Joe Tashler also contributed to this story.
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