Paper Mill Explosion Claims Life of Worker
SARTELL, MN—An explosion and fire Monday rocked the Verso Paper plant here, claiming the life of a 50-year-old employee and injuring four others, the St. Cloud Times reported. More than 50 fire departments and other agencies have been on the scene of the fire, which still smoldered as of Thursday.
The victim was Jon Maus of Albany, MN. There was no word to the extent of the other injuries. Most of the damage was contained to part of the paper warehouse, the newspaper reported. There are roughly 4,000 paper rolls in the warehouse.
The cost of fighting the blaze could run into six figures for the city of Sartell, the Times reported. Four million gallons of water have been expended in battling the fire.
The 105-year-old mill's No. 3 coated paper machine is believed to be largely undamaged.