PrintBIRON, Wis. (From news reports) - Firefighters utilized an unconventional ventilation tactic Wednesday night, Sept. 16, deploying an airboat to blow heavy smoke from a paper mill building during a second-alarm fire in Wood County.
Crews from Biron, Wisconsin Rapids and Grand Rapids were dispatched around 9 p.m. to the ND Paper mill Biron Drive after receiving reports of a structure fire in the facility's 700 Building.
First arriving firefighters encountered dense smoke throughout the structure, prompting command staff to escalate the call to a box alarm and ultimately a second alarm.
Faced with zero-visibility conditions inside the facility, Wisconsin Rapids Deputy Chief Brennan Agen collaborated with Port Edwards Fire Chief Dustin Lease on a creative solution: bringing in the Wood County Sheriff's Rescue airboat to serve as an oversized positive-pressure ventilation fan. The boat's powerful propeller forced trapped smoke out of the structure, clearing sightlines for interior firefighting crews.
No firefighters or civilians were injured, and village officials confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the public.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Assisting at the scene were fire departments from Grand Rapids, Port Edwards, Vesper, Rudolph, and Plover, alongside United Emergency Medical Response, Wood County Sheriff's Rescue, and Wood County Dispatch.
