Nearly 100 firefighters battle five-alarm blaze
By Heather Ruenz
A fire that began in a wood stove destroyed a home on Pine Drive in the Town of Palmyra Nov. 14. The homeowner, who was home alone at the time, was able to escape safely, along with three pets.
The Village of Palmyra Fire and Rescue Department received the call for a wood stove that was actively on fire at 7:55 p.m. and were on the scene within six minutes. Upon arriving at the home, W392 Pine Dr., firefighters requested mutual aide as heavy smoke could be seen coming out of the doors, windows and eaves, according to Fire Chief Marshall Lewis.
Nearly 100 firefighters from 18 municipalities provided mutual aid for the five-alarm fire with crews on scene for nearly eight hours in the frigid temperatures, causing challenges for personnel.
Lewis said structure fires in rural areas are difficult because water needs to be transported to the scene. Truck-mounted water holding tanks were set up with water from more than 40 tanker trucks needed to douse the stubborn fire.
The freezing air temperatures caused roads surrounding the scene and the property itself to become coated in a sheet of ice, leading to three public works departments being requested to apply salt and sand to the area.
Marshall said neither the hoses or pumps carrying water froze, but their effectiveness was diminished in the cold by reduced water pressure and less flexibility in the hoses.
The Palmyra Fire Department received mutual aid from the following departments: Eagle, East Troy, Elkhorn, La Grange, Dousman, North Prairie, Jefferson, Ixonia, Fort Atkinson, Helenville, Troy Center, Whitewater, Sullivan, Rome, Mukwonago, Johnson Creek, Fort Atkinson Paramedic Intercept 799 and Lake Country Delafield.
Mutual Aid Box Alarm System cards are created by area fire chiefs who later choose which card to “strike” in the event a call requires mutual aid. In the case of Friday night’s fire, by Jefferson County Dispatch following the MABAS card the dispatch center knew which departments to contact in what order when additional calls for manpower and equipment were received by Marshall.
In addition to emergency personnel, Jaeckel Brothers responded with a backhoe to assist in moving portions of the home’s walls, helping firefighters gain access to flames under debris on scene.
According to Marshall, the number of people and organizations that stepped up the night of the fire was amazing, beginning with the Jefferson County Dispatch team. Marshall also commended the use of MABAS and all of the departments and personnel that assisted on the scene throughout the long night.
Among the unsung heroes is the third-shift crew working McDonald’s in Whitewater that night.
Tracy James, a volunteer with the Palmyra Rescue Squad, said she called the McDonald’s around 1 a.m. and asked if they could make 150 hamburgers.
“I think they thought I was kidding because he asked for my phone number but he called back and they had them ready in 30 minutes,” James said. “They didn’t just do the single burgers like I asked for but the doubles and we had a lot of hungry people on scene. They did an awesome job helping us out in the middle of the night.”
An investigation as to the official cause of the fire is being conducted.
A “Pine Drive House Fire Benefit Fund” to assist the family has been set up at Palmyra State Bank for those wishing to make a donation.
