Cambria explosion

UPDATE: Traffic routes around Cambria explosion - 

From WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

UPDATE (WKOW) -- The
Wisconsin Department of Transportation has issued alternate routes
around the scene of an explosion in Cambria.

They say all lanes of
State Highway 146, both directions, are blocked at Cemetery Road.
Authorities say northbound traffic should take Highway 16 to US 151 to
Highway 73. Then take 73 to Highway 33 west back to 146. Southbound
traffic should reverse these directions.

UW Hospital has confirmed
with 27 News they are treating five patients from the explosion. Those
five people were airlifted to the hospital. No word on their conditions.

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UPDATE
(WKOW) -- Columbia County Sheriff Dennis Richards more than a dozen
people were injured and at least one person was killed in an explosion
in Cambria.

There were at least 16 employees working at the time
at Didion Milling plant. Two were able to get out safely and the others
were not. The sheriff says there are also two known employees still
missing at this point.

Crews are still trying to determine how
secure the building is. A Didion family spokesman says their teams are
very close and they're asking for prayers for the workers and their
families.

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UPDATE (WKOW) -- Cambria Village
President Glen Williams tells 27 News the fire at the Didion Milling
Plant has now been contained. There were no evacuations in the area and
Williams says there is no threat from chemicals or fumes that he is
aware of.

Williams says the plant runs 24 hours a day and there
were people working at the plant at the time of the explosion, but at
this point, he did not have details on how many employees were on site.

He says the Didion Milling plant processes corn and byproducts for industries all over the world.

"It's
going to be a big blow the community. Both with the shock of the
situation and economically. There will be a lot of people who are going
to struggle with employment at least for the time being until they can
get the plant running again," Williams said.

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UPDATE (WKOW) -- Columbia County Sheriff Dennis Richards confirms there was an explosion at the Didion Milling plant in Cambria.

"It's
a large three or four story building that doesn't exist anymore,"
Cambria Village President Glen Williams said about the rubble.

"We've had multiple fire departments, ambulances from numerous communities, multiple Medflights," Williams said.

Richards says
families are being asked to go to the Cambria Highway Shop at 119 E.
Second Street while the search continues for missing loved ones.

Cambria Village President Glen Williams says the call came in around 11 p.m. and shook the community.

"I
don't want to say it sounded like a sonic boom.... but it was loud, a
startling sound" Williams said about the noise.  "The power went out
immediately, so it got the attention of everyone, everywhere," he added.

"We're just getting to the point that Salvation Army and Red Cross has arrived," Williams said.

Williams
says the community is being urged to stay away from the scene and he
does not know whether school later this morning will be impacted by the
explosion.

Cambria Community Ambulance Service says multiple burn
injuries have been reported. It says more than three medevac flights
have been sent to the scene.

The state Department of
Transportation says the north and southbound lanes of Highway 146
between Highway 33 and Highway 16 are closed.

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UPDATE
(WKOW) -- Dispatchers in Columbia County say they received a report
about an explosion at the Didion Milling plant in Cambria.

According to the Didion website, the facility on Highway 146 in Cambria is an ethanol plant.

Firefighters
from the Cambria Fire Department have not confirmed there was an
explosion, but have told 27 News to tell everyone to stay away from
Highway146.

The Madison Fire Department tells 27 News it is
sending its rescue team to the scene.  The Dodge County Sheriff's Office
also confirms it has deputies providing traffic assistance in the
Cambria area.

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CAMBRIA (WKOW) -- Alliant Energy is reporting multiple power outages in the Columbia County village of Cambria.

The
company's website shows at least 15 outages in the village, adding up
to at least 130 customers. The website does not list a cause of the
outages.

27 News reached out to the Cambria Fire Department about
the cause of the outages, but were only told that we should tell people
to stay away from Highway 146.

27 News is following this developing story and we'll continue to post updates as we get them.