GREEN BAY, Wis. (From news reports) -- The largest fire the city of Green Bay has seen in almost 30 years has continued to burn.
It was Monday morning, March 16, when the blaze first broke out at Green Bay Converting, located at 2200 Larsen Road.
The winds from Blizzard Elsa not only fueled the fire, but also sent smoke and debris miles away, resulting in a shelter-in-place being issued within a 3/4 mile radius. That order has since been lifted.
Crews continued to pour water on the 320,000-square-foot warehouse Tuesday. The size of the building meant calls to many neighboring and regional departments have been answered.
"We've had numerous resources called to this area. We've had outside of Brown County. I believe we've had Manitowoc, Outagamie, possibly Winnebago, too. So, we've had resources near and far in Northeast Wisconsin," said Lt. Shauna Walesh with the Green Bay Metro Fire Department.
The roof of the building that houses paper products collapsed in multiple places, making the structure unsafe for anyone to be inside. As the building continues to burn, crews are using ladder trucks to not only deal with flare ups, but also to protect another building on the site that houses offices and equipment.
According to GBMFD Interim Co-Chief Ray Fuiten, "We are able to get our drones up to assist with situational awareness. We have had to move some of our resources around to better mitigate the fire. Fire right now is still mainly on the warehouse section right here behind me, where you can see the crews fighting fire and crews trying to keep the water and nearby exposure protected."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Walesh says it's been difficult to investigate the cause while the fire is still burning.
She added, "Biggest goal is to get the fire out, try to reset. Get some of our assisting agencies back to their areas. And then pick up the pieces and then follow through with the investigation and see what that has to say."
