A Monday afternoon fire led Aztalan Bio to shut down its Jefferson facility located at W5289 Joe Turley Way. The plant is a biorefinery that uses natural processes to refine locally produced grain. The fire took place at a dryer located within the building, according to a statement from Jeff Oestmann, chief executive officer of
A Monday afternoon fire led Aztalan Bio to shut down its Jefferson facility located at W5289 Joe Turley Way. The plant is a biorefinery that uses natural processes to refine locally produced grain.
The fire took place at a dryer located within the building, according to a statement from Jeff Oestmann, chief executive officer of Aztalan Bio.
"Thanks to the swift and professional response of local firefighters, the fire was contained, and no injuries were reported,” said Oestmann. “While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, we are working closely with authorities to investigate. The plant is currently shut down, and no environmental impacts or hazards have been identified at this time. We are extremely grateful to the firefighters and first responders for their quick and effective assistance. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.”
Aztalan Bio is owned by the Dublin, Ireland-based agribusiness ClonBio Group.
In March, ClonBio Group announced plans to invest an additional $500 million in the Jefferson facility. The building was a previously shuttered biorefinery. San Antonio, Texas-based Valero Energy Corp. previously operated the plant until shutting it down in 2021.
Before the company announced plans to invest another $500 million, ClonBio Group had already spent $100 million over 18 months to get the facility up and running again. It is now the largest grain processing facility in Wisconsin.
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