Firefighters Put Out Blaze On Ore Dock In Superior

SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) -- Firefighters overcame water supply problems to put out a fire on an ore dock in Superior.

Crews were called to the Allouez Taconite Facility around 10 p.m. Saturday after the fire broke out in a conveyor belt system.

Battalion Chief Scott Gordon tells the Duluth News Tribune "it looked like a fireball in the sky."

Gordon says access was hard because the burning belt was enclosed inside a structure about 40 feet above the ground. A hydrant about 1,500 feet away didn't put out enough water, so firefighters resorted to water trucks from nearby communities and the BNSF.

Gordon says about 200 feet of the two-mile long belt appeared to have damaged. The repair cost is estimated at $20,000.

No injuries were reported. Crews cleared the scene shortly before midnight.

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