Second-floor of home devastated by afternoon blaze
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
Fire crews and equipment from 22 agencies descended upon Burlington Tuesday afternoon as a three-alarm fire displaced two families and all but destroyed a residential duplex at 773-775 N. Pine St.
No injuries were reported, according to City of Burlington Fire Chief Alan Babe.
Babe, who was at a meeting about a block away, was on the scene as emergency crews were dispatched at 3:06 p.m. He said initial reports indicated there were possibly two people still unaccounted for in the residence, but those reports proved false.
Babe said a total of five people and pets from two families had been displaced and were being assisted by the Red Cross.
As fire crews arrived flames were visible on the second story, Babe said. Firefighters on the ground began spraying water on the fire soon after arrival and a short time later two aerial apparatus were set up on each front corner of the building to deluge the flames from above.
Soon after, the metal roof on the home opened and a portion of the second-floor porch tumbled forward, striking a pickup truck parked on the street in front of the residence.
Babe said it took about 45 minutes to get the blaze under control. He declined to speculate on the cause of the fire, however, several people at the scene said it appeared to have originated on the second-floor porch area.
Babe said firefighters would continue to monitor hot spots and conduct a secondary search of the home before turning the scene over to the Racine County Fire Investigation Task Force Tuesday evening.
For additional photos and coverage of the fire see Thursday’s print edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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