Update: The Jefferson County Scanner Facebook page has reported that the fire in the 400 block of Edward St., Fort Atkinson, has rekindled. The Fort Atkinson Fire Department has responded to a call of “flames showing on the second floor.” The scanner posted its update at approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday.
By Kim McDarison
Members of the Fort Atkinson Fire Department and Fort Atkinson Police Department responded Wednesday around 11:30 a.m. to a house fire at the corner of Edward and Harrison streets.
Fort Atkinson Online reporter Chris Spangler, who was on scene, noted that an emergency crew member, also on scene, described the two-story home as “fully engulfed.”
As Spangler approached the scene, she said she could see flames coming from the structure’s “bottom floor.”
Smoke from the fire could be seen from the city’s downtown, she said.
Traffic was being diverted away from the scene, she said. She reported that neighbors said they were asked to evacuate the area “due to gas not being off.”
According to Fort Atkinson Fire Department Division Chief Dion Brown, the Fort Atkinson Fire Department received a call about the fire at 11:35 a.m. The caller reported flames showing on the home’s front porch. Upon arrival, firefighters found flames coming from the porch as well as the first and second floor of the structure, Brown said, adding that firefighters were en route to the scene 4 minutes after receiving the call.
While three residents lived in the home, Brown said only one, whom he described as “an elderly woman,” was home at the time of the fire. The individual was transported to Fort Memorial Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation, he said.
A cat was later found deceased in the building, he said.
Firefighters battled the blaze for about an hour. With time spent securing the scene, he said, firefighters were on scene for about three hours.
Brown described the building as a total loss. The home was not owner-occupied, he said.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined at this time, he noted.
The Fort Atkinson Fire Department, using the MABAS system, was assisted with assets from several neighboring departments, including: Jefferson, Milton, Whitewater, Edgerton, Lake Mills, Western Lakes, Watertown and Johnson Creek.
He described the fire as a Box Alarm 1.
The department was further assisted by the Fort Atkinson Police Department and We Energies, he said.
At approximately 1 p.m., the city of Fort Atkinson, on its Facebook Page, posted the following information: Multiple mutual aid departments responded to the fire on Edward street, adding: “The fire is now under control but crews continue to work to make the scene safe.”
This story has been updated.
Photos above: The Fort Atkinson Fire Department responds to a two-story house fire near the corner of Edward and Harrison streets. The fire occurred around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Chris Spangler photos.
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