Homemade explosive damages Planned Parenthood in Grand Chute

GRAND CHUTE - Grand Chute police say a water bottle filled with an accelerant caused a fire and explosion at a Planned Parenthood clinic.

The fire started Sunday night at the clinic on Gillett St. in Grand Chute.

No one was in the building at the time.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin says it's used to the regular protesters holding signs outside clinics. But a fire caused by an explosion was something the staff at the Grand Chute clinic wasn't expecting.

"Safety's always a concern for the staff's perspective," said Chris Williams, chief operating officer at Planned Parenthood.

Grand Chute police say the fire department responded to an alarm triggered by smoke around 7:40 p.m. Sunday. By the time crews arrived, the fire had extinguished itself.

But, investigators say a window had been broken. Crews found parts of a plastic bottle that appeared to have contained an accelerant.

"The type of device used had the potential to be much more destructive, so I'm not sure if it was just meant to send a message,” said Grand Chute Police Chief Greg Peterson, who could not identify what type of device or chemicals were used.

Planned Parenthood says in the past, the location has had some threats. But, none have happened recently.

“There have been demonstrations and there have been arrests. Recently we have not been made aware of any specific threats focused on the facility and we've received no word from anybody accepting responsibility for the situation,” confirmed Peterson.

Planned Parenthood says its staff is on high alert as it prepares to reopen the Grand Chute site on Tuesday.

"We have our own security vendor Securitas that is beefing up the security presence at this site as well,” said Williams, adding the staff will continue to work closely with law enforcement.

The FBI will also aid in the investigation. Peterson says security footage from the building's camera system will be analyzed as a search for a suspect continues.

If you know anything about the incident at Planned Parenthood, you're asked to call the Grand Chute Police Department at (920) 832-1575.