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Concept
2006 Falk Corporation explosion
Summary
The Falk Corporation explosion refers to a large and fatal propane gas explosion at a Falk Corporation building in the industrial Menomonee River Valley neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on December 6, 2006. Three people were killed and forty-seven others injured. Cars were reportedly flipped through the air and debris scattered over several blocks. An investigation of the cause of the disaster uncovered leaks in a pipe running below the building, which supplied propane to the heating system for the complex. Several parties involved in the explosion have launched legal action in connection to the accident.
Falk Corporation
The Falk Corporation manufactures large industrial gears, couplings, chains, bearings and other industrial components and equipment. Located in the Menomonee River Valley in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it is owned by Rexnord. The complex is more than , and has of buildings. 600 people were inside the complex at the time of the explosion. The building that exploded was located in one corner of the complex. The building that housed the propane tanks was two separate structures joined together. One of the buildings was used as a warehouse for storing components used in the manufacturing process, and was called the Annex. The other building, called the 2-2 building, was a maintenance facility. The two buildings between them housed six propane tanks and covered .
The company was founded in 1856 as a brewery and the original plant was destroyed by fire. Three years later, the replacement brew house, grain elevator, malt house and refrigerator building were destroyed by a second fire. The remains of the business were sold, but one of the family's youngest sons rented part of the complex back and began a manufacturing business, and by 1900 the current compound had been constructed. In 1917 the Menomonee River overflowed its banks, filling the plant with at least of muddy water. Cleanup operations took several weeks. During another flood in 1960 waters rose so fast that 75 workers were stranded and required rescue.
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