Fire Damages Spring City Wine House

WAUKESHA, WI — A fire at the Spring City Wine House Tuesday afternoon exhausted several firefighters and caused extensive damage inside a historic Downtown Waukesha property.

At just after 12:30 p.m. the City of Waukesha Fire Department responded to the Spring City Wine House at 331 W Main Street. The first units on scene reported a possible fire in the wall with light smoke coming from the wall.

Firefighters on the scene said they saw smoke whisping from the building’s exterior between the façade of the building and the structural block and stone. Crews immediately extinguished all visible fire and began the process of checking for where the fire had extended to.

Fire officials said the structure was built was around the early 1900s and contained multiple building occupancies that had numerous remodels over the years. Fire crews learned the fire was able to reach multiple pockets inside the building. Crews were eventually able to locate all of the concealed fire. Waukesha Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Hoffman said the incident was extremely taxing on the personnel due to the weather conditions of the day.

Mutual aid was provided by the City of Pewaukee, Town of Brookfield, New Berlin, Tess Corners, Big Bend, Town of Waukesha, City of Brookfield, Wales/Genesse, Lake Country, Town of Delafield, Vernon and Sussex. The fire department also received assistance from the Salvation Army, Waukesha County Rehab and Waukesha Metro Transit.

Waukesha fire officials said that six firefighters were injured as they battled the fire Tuesday. There were no injuries to civilians, fire officials said. Four of the firefighters were treated on the scene for heat exhaustion and then released. Two of the firefighters were transported to the hospital for heat exposure and smoke inhalation, but have since been released from the hospital.

Investigators say that all initial indications are that the fire started from the exterior of the building and extended to the interior. Investigators reported that a leading cause was likely carelessly-discarded smoking materials.

Waukesha Police Photo