Fire at Rice Lake company

A fire broke out shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the American Excelsior wood fibers plant in Rice Lake, bringing firefighters and equipment to the Macauley Avenue side of the plant, and, briefly requiring the Rice Lake Fire Department to call for mutual aid, according to county dispatch logs. Power equipment was being used just inside the door to the factory shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, and a worker was also checking the roof for damage (see photo). The Rice Lake plant shreds aspen trees for lawn blankets and livestock bedding, among other uses. Photo by Bob Zientara