WHITEWATER (WKOW) -- A propane tanker truck exploded and ignited buildings at a farm cooperative just west of Whitewater.
It happened around 3 p.m. Friday at the Landmark Cooperative in the township of Lima, near Whitewater.
"In my 17 years, this is the first type of industrial explosion of this size," said Capt. Jude Maurer with the Rock County Sheriff's Department.
Officials tell 27 News that someone was loading a tank carrying 3,400 gallons of propane onto a truck when it failed to make a connection.
The worker involved and about a dozen others ran away in time.
Officials say no other tanks caught fire. Crews were spraying down other tanks with water to cool them down.
There are no reports of any injuries.
The explosion shut down a stretch of Highway 59 is closed in both directions for several hours. It was reopened around 6:20 p.m.
13 fire agencies responded to the explosion.
Water was a challenge, because the co-op is outside city limits. Crews drove back and forth to keep firefighters supplied.
Crews stayed on scene until about 6:30 p.m., but the work will continue for investigators.
A spokesman for the co-op says they're just trying to keep everything here untouched before the insurance company and investigators return on Saturday. They say they'll figure out the cause to make sure it doesn't happen again.
