Accident at Tomahawk area mill burns worker - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

TOMAHAWK (WKOW) – Federal officials are investigating a Tomahawk area mill after a recent accident.

According to the Wausau Daily Herald, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department says a worker was severely burned Tuesday at Packaging Corp. of America. 

The Wausau Daily Herald says the employee was taken to a local hospital and then flown to University Hospital in Madison.  Neither the sheriff's department nor company officials released details of how the accident happened.

Authorities say the mill has a history of fatal injuries to workers.  Two men working as contractors from Ontonagon, Michigan, suffered fatal burns at the Tomahawk plant last July.  Three employees were killed in 2008 when sparks ignited flammable gas in the storage tank at the mill, which produces corrugated packaging and container board.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokesman Scott Allen tells the Wausau Daily Herald the investigation into the latest accident could take up to six months.