PORTAGE, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is assisting with the big clean up of a butter spill following a large industrial fire at a dairy plant in Portage.
Monday night's fire at the Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI) facility caused significant damage.
The fire started in a room "where butter was being stored and as it was heated it began to flow throughout the structure," according to the Portage Fire Department.
Several crews from neighboring communities fought the fire for hours before it was extinguished.
Afterwards, the Portage Hazmat Team attempted to contain the melted butter runoff into the storm sewer and into a nearby canal.
DNR officials report that about 20 gallons of the melted butter entered the canal through the storm sewer.
The DNR staff says the butter has been cleaned out and removed with the help of absorbent booms.
According to a news release from the DNR, "most of the butter that left the facility exited via the sanitary sewer and traveled to the wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater plant personnel have been clearing butter out of the plant since the incident."
DNR officials say the environmental impact of the butter spill is minimal so far.
