MENOMINEE, Mich. (NBC 26) — UPDATE: As of 8:00 a.m. on October 10, the fire at the Menominee, Michigan paper mill has been contained, but is still burning.
Officials say it might take a while before the fire is completely put out due to the chemicals that were in the building.
Back in 2019, our Gino Recchia got an inside look at The Menominee Pulp Mill of Resolute Forest Products.
Take a look at what the inside of the mill looked like, before the fire, below.
To learn more about the multibillion-dollar industry of paper making at Menominee Pulp Mill of Resolute Forest Products, click here.
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ORIGINAL REPORTING
Roads near a paper mill fire in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula were still closed Sunday morning.
Additionally, a shelter-in-place order was in effect for residents downwind of the fire in Menominee, Michigan. The area involved includes 10th St east to the Bay of Green Bay and 6th Ave south to the Menominee River. This shelter-in-place was lifted as of 10:41 p.m. on Oct. 8.
According to Menominee County emergency officials, Menominee City Industrial Route (4th Ave) is closed to traffic from 1st Street to 10th Street due to the "ongoing fire incident scene." This includes all cross streets. People are asked to use an alternate route of travel.
The fire began Thursday night at a warehouse that Montreal-based Resolute Forest Products rents from KK Integrated Logistics on the site of Resolute's Menominee recycled pulp mill along the Menominee River, said David Marshall, a company spokesman.
The fire sent a huge plume of smoke into the air, creating air quality concerns for the surrounding area.
Previously, the City of Marinette, Wisconsin had issued a "shelter-in-place" alert for residents downwind of the fire. But by Friday evening, that alert had been lifted. Officials said in a statement that changing wind direction sent the smoke more to the east, over the Bay of Green Bay.
Still, Marinette County officials said Friday that people should avoid that area of the Menominee River and shoreline due to potential soot fallout until the fire is completely extinguished.
The paper mill makes paper pulp and employs nearly a hundred people, according to the company’s website, which says Resolute Forest Products is a leading producer of lumber, newsprint, and other wood products.
Menominee is located in the southern central tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula about 55 miles (88 kilometers) northwest of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
This article contains content from the Associated Press.
