One person was killed Monday and at least five others were injured in an explosion that caused a large fire at Verso Paper Corp., a mill in Sartell, Minn.
The name of the person killed was not immediately released, nor were the names or conditions of those injured when an air compressor apparently exploded at the plant shortly before 11:30 a.m.
Three of the injured were treated at St. Cloud Hospital and released, Sartell City Manager Patti Gartland said Monday.
The mill recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, Gartland said. She said the mill employs about 260 people and is the second-largest employer in the town, which has a population of about 16,000. About 50 people were working at the time of the blast, plant manager Matt Archambeau said. Gartland said the person killed was an employee.
"The paper mill is part of the heart and soul of the community," Gartland said. "I think it's kind of sinking in."
The city of Sartell plans to bring in a structural engineer to check the integrity of the paper mill as it begins investigating exactly what led to the explosion.
At least one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, according to Gartland. At least 15 fire departments responded to the blaze, which was about 90 percent under control by evening, she said.
"We called everybody out," she said. "There was a lot of debris flying around."
