MONROE - Damage is estimated at $500,000 for the fire that charred Minhas Craft Brewery this week, but it isn't expected to put much of a damper on beer production.
Gary Olson, president of brewery operations, said he is "fairly optimistic" the production schedule can return to normal the week after Thanksgiving.
No major injuries were reported from the fire, which started at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21. Two contract workers from ZipCoat SprayFoam Insulation Specialists were spraying foam in a second-floor tank cellar when the machine powering the sprayers caught fire in the nearby stairwell, according to Olson.
The fire was contained mostly to the stairwell but it left a layer of grimy, corrosive soot in the beer cellars. The blaze was hot enough to warp the steel scaffolding on the stairwell's upper catwalk, probably 1,500 to 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit, Olson said.
Six 600-barrel tanks of beer on the second floor could be heat-damaged but Olson said he wouldn't know for sure until Monday. Friday afternoon he surveyed damages with representatives from the brewery's insurance company.
In all, 110 firefighters from 16 agencies in Wisconsin and southern Illinois helped with the fire, according to the Monroe Fire Department. One firefighter had a minor injury and was taken to Monroe Clinic, where he was treated and released.
The fire was controlled shortly after 3 p.m. It continued smoldering until about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, when it was declared officially out, Olson said.
A few firefighters stayed at Minhas overnight to keep an eye on hot spots and prevent potential flare-ups. The last of the responding firefighters didn't leave Minhas until 6 a.m. Friday morning.
In a post to its Facebook page, the Monroe Fire Department praised the community effort surrounding the operation, including local businesses that donated food, allowed firefighters to leave work and provided other services.
The fire is the second time Minhas has sustained major damage in the past six months - and the second time an already planned renovation has been expedited.
In late May, a thunderstorm blew a truck-sized hole on the brewery's north side on 12th Street.
Olson said he'd been planning before the storm to renovate that side of the building. Now this week, he remembers just a day before the fire walking through the stairwell and remarking, "These walls need a fresh coat of paint."
Gary Olson, president of brewery operations, said he is "fairly optimistic" the production schedule can return to normal the week after Thanksgiving.
No major injuries were reported from the fire, which started at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21. Two contract workers from ZipCoat SprayFoam Insulation Specialists were spraying foam in a second-floor tank cellar when the machine powering the sprayers caught fire in the nearby stairwell, according to Olson.
The fire was contained mostly to the stairwell but it left a layer of grimy, corrosive soot in the beer cellars. The blaze was hot enough to warp the steel scaffolding on the stairwell's upper catwalk, probably 1,500 to 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit, Olson said.
Six 600-barrel tanks of beer on the second floor could be heat-damaged but Olson said he wouldn't know for sure until Monday. Friday afternoon he surveyed damages with representatives from the brewery's insurance company.
In all, 110 firefighters from 16 agencies in Wisconsin and southern Illinois helped with the fire, according to the Monroe Fire Department. One firefighter had a minor injury and was taken to Monroe Clinic, where he was treated and released.
The fire was controlled shortly after 3 p.m. It continued smoldering until about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, when it was declared officially out, Olson said.
A few firefighters stayed at Minhas overnight to keep an eye on hot spots and prevent potential flare-ups. The last of the responding firefighters didn't leave Minhas until 6 a.m. Friday morning.
In a post to its Facebook page, the Monroe Fire Department praised the community effort surrounding the operation, including local businesses that donated food, allowed firefighters to leave work and provided other services.
The fire is the second time Minhas has sustained major damage in the past six months - and the second time an already planned renovation has been expedited.
In late May, a thunderstorm blew a truck-sized hole on the brewery's north side on 12th Street.
Olson said he'd been planning before the storm to renovate that side of the building. Now this week, he remembers just a day before the fire walking through the stairwell and remarking, "These walls need a fresh coat of paint."