TV station tower collapses in western Wisconsin

Robert Shellenbarger of Fall Creek surveys the damage Wednesday after the collapse of WEAU-TV's 2,000-foot transmission tower near Fairchild. No one was injured in the collapse which knocked the television station off the air and has closed a county highway due to debris. (AP Photo/Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, Dan Reiland)

FAIRCHILD, Wis. (AP) — A 2,000-foot-tall television transmitting tower toppled in western Wisconsin, knocking a TV station off the air.

WEAU-TV turned to the Internet to deliver its 10 p.m. newscast Tuesday night after the tower in eastern Eau Claire County came tumbling down. The weather was windy and icy at the time, but the tower in Fairchild has stood through Wisconsin’s worst conditions since 1966.

Fairchild Fire Department spokesperson Stacy Tanner said no one was hurt when the tower came down about 8:30 p.m. According to WEAU-TV, part of the structure fell over county Highway H, which isn’t expected to be cleared until later Wednesday.

Information from: WEAU-TV, http://www.weau.com