No injuries were reported in the wake of a house and garage fire which occurred in the Town of Birch, near Irma, Monday morning.
According to a press release issued by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, at 8:03 a.m. Monday morning, Nov.11, the Lincoln County E-911 Communications Center was notified of a structure fire in the Town of Birch.
The initial 911 call came from a home at W3986 County Rd J, Irma.
The caller indicated a fire had started in the garage of the home and was spreading to the home. When the Town of Russell Fire Department arrived on the scene they found the home fully engulfed.
Firefighters were on the scene for about five hours.
The Lincoln County Highway Department maintained roads around the fire, as tankers hauled water from a hydrant at the nearby Lincoln Hills School. Lincoln County deputies closed County Rd J for the duration of the fire.
Assisting agencies included the Merrill Fire Department, Pine River Fire Department, Tomahawk Fire Department, Town of Russell First Responders and Town of Little Rice Fire Department.
A portable heater in the garage is the likely cause of the fire.