Home destroyed by fire

Firefighters extinguish hot spots of a structure fire at 267 S. Cottage St. last Friday morning. A passerby called in the fire just before 9 a.m., Jan. 23. No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported. Mutual aid was requested from numerous departments because of the need for additional manpower. (Peter Mischka photo)
Firefighters extinguish hot spots of a structure fire at 267 S. Cottage St. last Friday morning. A passerby called in the fire just before 9 a.m., Jan. 23. No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported. Mutual aid was requested from numerous departments because of the need for additional manpower. (Peter Mischka photo)

By Heather Ruenz

A fire that is believed to have started in the basement of a two-story home on Cottage Street in Whitewater last Friday quickly spread to the first and second floors causing floors to collapse and the structure to be compromised.

“The floor failed while we were inside conducting a search,” City of Whitewater Fire Chief Don Gregoire said Tuesday in a follow up interview about the fire.

Crews initially thought someone was inside the home because of a vehicle parked in the driveway, Gregoire said. It was later reported that all occupants were out of town and accounted for.

The Whitewater Fire Department was notified at 8:54 a.m., Jan. 23 after a passerby noticed smoke coming from the home. When firefighters got to the scene, they saw heavy smoke coming from the structure leading to a request for mutual aid.

Gregoire said it appeared the fire had been burning for some time but because many people who live in the neighborhood were not home, the fire was not noticed sooner.

The heavy smoke conditions hampered the work of crews as did the integrity of the structure. Both the first and second floors being compromised, a press release from the department stated.

Gregoire said firefighters “moved to defensive mode” once the floor collapsed.

The Whitewater Fire Department requested seven alarms for the fire. Crews responded from the following departments: Fort Atkinson, Palmyra, Janesville, Lauderdale-LaGrange, Jefferson, Darien, Elkhorn, Edgerton, Walworth, East Troy, Clinton, Turtle, Eagle, the Racine Fire Belles, the Beloit Rehab Trailer and Helenville.

In the press release, it was stated the reason for Whitewater pulling resources to the seventh alarm was “due to the time of day that the call came in. Many rural and volunteer departments have members that work out of town during the day, and finding members able to respond to outside of their own community is sometimes a challenge.”

Gregoire spoke more about that challenge Tuesday.

“We had 11 passes of mutual aid that day as departments have to cover their own communities first. That’s the priority,” Gregoire said.

“A lot of what we had coming in was equipment with limited manpower so we continued to pull resources to get enough manpower on the scene,” he added.

Gregoire said the issue has become more prominent in recent years because of the state-mandated training for firefighters.

“Whether you’re a volunteer or a paid firefighter, it’s a big commitment of time. It’s a concern for us as departments dwindle down,” Gregoire said. “The public should be concerned too.”

Crews were on the scene at Friday’s fire for more than five hours. Once back at the fire station, Gregoire said they spent about an additional hour and a half cleaning up and preparing equipment for the next call.

Gregoire said he was relieved to learn no one was home at Cottage Street because the family is already dealing with a trying situation – a serious medical condition.

“They were at the hospital that day. I spoke to them and while they were upset about the fire, they said it was material things and were also glad no one was hurt,” Gregoire said. “And it sounds like the surgery went as good as it could have so that’s what they were thankful for and I am too.

“It puts it all in perspective.”

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