Free Republic

NEW ULM, Minn. — Tons of butter melted by a factory fire spread through the streets of New Ulm late Wednesday and early Thursday until it was overtaken by the chill of Minnesota's icebox weather. On Thursday afternoon, amid the fatigue from hours of fighting the massive blaze, the slippery surfaces and the wreckage of the plant, even Fire Chief Curt Curry recognized some humor in the incongruous scene. "We were looking for 40,000 loaves of bread at 2 o'clock this morning," he said, trying to wind down with a smile after working the intense fire all night. Work crews...