Rock County sheriff’s officials said that the first report came in at about 3:11 p.m. that a propane tanker truck exploded at Landmark Services Coop, located in the 12000 block of East Highway 59 in Lima Township, which is just west of Whitewater.
They said the tanker and one building were on fire when fire crews arrived. Sheriff’s Capt. Jude Maurer said that 13 fire agencies responded and the fire was under control in about an hour.
Mauer said that nobody was hurt in the explosion and fire. Initial reports of multiple buildings on fire at the farm aren’t true, he said. The facility’s office building was damaged in the fire.
Mauer said the blast tore holes in the sides of a metal building where a worker was transferring propane from a storage tank to a delivery tanker. The worker was able to run out of the building before the explosion. Mauer said the worker realized there was problem when the filling tube became disconnected from the tanker and propane started spraying all over. The worker said he knew it was going to ignite so he ran away.
According to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, an unknown source ignited the propane, which caused the explosion.
Wisconsin Emergency Management officials said that the truck was carrying about 3,500 gallons of propane and was engulfed in flames. They said it’s unknown how much was in the larger supply tank or if it was involved in the explosion.
