The
future of a paper mill that's one of the main employers and taxpayers in the
central Minnesota town of Sartell was unclear Tuesday as firefighters spent a
second day trying to extinguish a fire that killed one worker and injured four.
The
fire broke out Monday with an explosion in a warehouse at the Verso Paper Corp.
mill. The warehouse held nearly 4,000 rolls of paper, each weighing hundreds of
pounds. Firefighters Tuesday still were trying to get to the burning rolls at
the back of the building.
The
building is unstable and structural beams are resting on top of paper rolls,
Fire Chief Ken Heim said. "We have a massive challenge ahead of us,"
Heim said during a news conference.
However,
Heim also said he didn't think the rest of the plant was damaged.
The
plant is so important to the area that Gov. Mark Dayton visited the site
Tuesday.
