BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
A Monday evening fire in the Town of Merrill had traffic on Hwy. 107 north of Merrill diverted via Swede Rd. and Lone Pine Dr. for more than five hours until the highway was reopened at just after 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.
The Lincoln County 911 Center dispatched the Merrill Fire Department (MFD) to N2532 Hwy. 107 in the Town of Merrill for a report of a fire in a garage attached to the home there at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2023. MFD Engine 61, Medic 61, and Tender 65 responded and arrived to find “smoke coming from the roof of the garage near a wood-burning chimney” and the property owner applying water to the area with a garden hose, according to a press release issued Tuesday morning by the MFD.
The MFD fire crew “began extinguishing the fire with a 1 3/4” hoseline” and then “used a pike pole to open up the ceiling” where they discovered smoldering insulation and burnt roof joists. “Fire personnel applied water to the area while exposing more of the ceiling,” the release said.
MFD used a thermal imaging camera throughout the house to determine the fire had been “contained to the area of the ceiling around the chimney” in the garage.
“Fire units were on the scene for nearly two hours and used approximately 900 gallons of water,” according to the MFD, after which it was determined the fire had been completely extinguished.
While three occupants were inside the home at the time of the fire, no injuries were reported.
The attached garage sustained moderate fire and water damage in the area surrounding a woodstove; but the living area of the home did not sustain any damage, the release noted.
In addition to the MFD, deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin Public Service also responded to and assisted at the scene.
Investigation pinpointed the cause of the fire as “improper installation of the woodstove,” the MFD reported.