Employees Evacuated At Milk Specialties Plant In FDL

A faulty chemical mix is the initial reason behind a Thursday morning plant closing and an evacuation at the Milk Specialties Plant located on Fond du Lac’s SW side.

Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue crews and Fond du Lac PD were called out just before 11:40 a.m. Thursday (4/7/2022) for reports of a gas plume emitting a yellowish cloud coming from the plant.

KFIZ Breaking News Editor Doug Raflik was one of the first on the scene, and said the yellow cloud had a definitive chlorine smell to it. With winds registering around 10 mph, Raflik said he took a position down wind from the cloud.

School buses were brought in for the almost 100 employees to take shelter in, due to the rain and colder than normal temperatures. Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue also closed down railroad traffic for almost 5 hours. It was thought the shutdown caused delays in train traffic all the way down to New Orleans on the Canadian Northern line. KFIZ News reached out to a spokesperson at CN for confirmation but had not received confirmation as of Thursday night.

Fond du Lac Fire Chief Peter O’Leary said evacuations of homes in the area was initiated, as a precaution, and residents were able to make their way back into homes shortly before 6:00 pm Thursday night.

FDL Fire Rescue Technical Rescue Team members made numerous entries into the building in an attempt to secure the leak. The cause of the leak is still unkown.

The plant is located at 325 Tompkins Dr, in between Western Ave. and Grove St.