Cause of fire at Taracon Precast was accidental
HAWLEY, Minn. (KVRR) – Authorities have determined the cause of a large fire on Oct. 2 at the Taracon Precast concrete plant near Hawley.
Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting says the fire was accidentally caused by an employee who was cutting rebar.
“Investigators determined a worker was cutting rebar with a handheld power cutter, which was caused the sparks to catch other material on fire. Attempts were made by staff on site to put the fire out but were unsuccessful,” Empting said.
The company reported that 250 containers of gasoline and other flammable materials were inside the building. A section of the roof collapsed. There is fire and smoke damage to a large portion of the building.
No injuries were reported.
Empting says nearly 20 area fire departments responded to the blaze. Plumes of smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.
