Local Recycling Business Hit By Fire

Motorists traveling along Highway 52 north of Rochester Monday afternoon were witness to a spectacular fire at a local business. The blaze was reported during the noon hour at Watsons Recycling, which is located on the east side of the highway near the 75th Street interchange. The flames consumed a 10,000 square-foot storage shed and produced a thick plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles. Firefighters from Oronoco, Pine Island, and Rochester responded to the scene to battle the fire, which was made more difficult because water had to be brought to the site by tanker trucks. The cause is under investigation.