Beaver Dam Apartment Explosion
An explosion on March 5 left one Beaver Dam resident dead, and building #109 of Village Glen Apartment complex to be left to burn in a controlled fire.
Windows of unit #11 in building #109 at the Village Glen Apartment Complex in Beaver Dam Wisconsin were blown out killing one occupant. Officials are still unsure of what specific chemicals caused the explosion. There was another planned explosion that took place on Thursday in the same building.
Other residents in building #109 and the surrounding buildings were immediately evacuated after the first explosion. Residents of the surrounding buildings were able to return to their homes after the second planned explosion on March 7. Residents will have to evacuate again on Wednesday, March 14, for the controlled fire that will burn building #109.
Residents of building #109 have been permanently evacuated and were not allowed to return after the initial explosion. They will have to watch their homes burn, with all their belongings still in them. Since officials are unsure of the chemicals that caused the fire, and no one was allowed to retrieve any belongings. The chemicals were said to be embedded into the insulation of the building.
The heat of the fire will degrade the chemicals and “render the situation finally safe” as said by Beaver Dam Mayor Rebecca Glewen during a meeting with Village Glen apartment residents on Sunday, March 11.
Surrounding streets and five apartment complexes will be evacuated Wednesday at 9:00am as twenty five fire departments control the fire. Two drones will be flown overhead to monitor heat.
The building will be lit at both ends to make the fire as hot as possible and burn as long as possible to degrade the explosive chemicals.
Building #113 will be sprayed with water to try to save it from the flames because of its proximity to building #119.
The smoke from the controlled fire is not any more hazardous than any other smoke from any other fire. Ash from the fire will be tested for the chemicals that caused the explosion.
Shattered Lives- The explosion blew out windows of Unit #11 and forced mandatory evacuations of the surrounding buildings. One man died and 100 residents were displaced from building #109 and its surrounding Apartments after the explosion.
