Two firefighters hospitalized after Hennepin Mill fire

Two firefighters were taken to a Princeton medical center after a three-alarm fire at the Washington Mills facility in Hennepin, where a transformer fire resulted in a three-alarm response.

The firefighters suffered from heat-related illnesses.

Granville-Hennepin Fire District Chief Neil Buffington reported at 2:20 p.m. that firefighters got the blaze under control about one hour earlier, although firefighters from numerous companies stayed at the scene for about an hour to cool down the structure.

Buffington said crews arrived shortly before noon to find the transformer building fully engulfed in flames. The intensity of the blaze, as well as the impeded heat, elevated the fire to three-alarm status. Buffington said he had no immediate count of all the responding companies.

The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, he said.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Firefighters spray water on a structure at Washington Mills on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025 near Hennepin. A Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) call was placed shortly after 11a.m. Fire departments from La Salle, Bureau and Putnam Counties assisted with the fire. (Scott Anderson)