A spokesman from Verso Corporation said the cause of a fire Tuesday night at the Wisconsin Rapids mill appears to have been caused by lightning. The company released a statement Wednesday afternoon saying around 7:30 p.m. lightning appeared to have struck the scrubber stack at the idled mill. “There were no employee injuries, and damage was limited to a non-operating area of the mill.
- PUB DATE: 5/26/2021 11:41:43 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Firefighters on Wednesday, May 26 responded to the scene of a house in Racine. The call came in around 5:45 a.m. Upon arrival, crews initiated a fast attack through the side door of the house knocking down the fire. The fire was brought under control and loss was stopped in roughly one hour. The Racine Police Department assisted at the scene with traffic control.
- PUB DATE: 5/26/2021 11:08:10 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

The Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department said around 60 firefighters responded to the scene of a fire at VERSO Mill around 8 p.m. Tuesday night. According to a news release, a hardwood digester caught fire. Wisconsin Rapids Deputy Fire Chief Todd Eckes said fire and heat compromised the stack causing a collapse, which then started subsequent fires in and around the digester tower.
- PUB DATE: 5/26/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

The Delton Fire Department promotes three volunteer members to new positions. Mitchell Piotrowski was promoted to captain of the Charlie Company. Capt. Piotrowski has served on the fire department for more than eight years completing numerous fire service trainings and certifications. Jason Marten has been promoted to lieutenant of the Alpha Company.
- PUB DATE: 5/26/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WiscNews

Photos: The Oak Creek Fire Department lended a helping hand to a bird on Tuesday, May 25. A firefighter/paramedic helped get a plastic bag off a crane’s head. The fire department says a person called concerned the crane may walk into traffic. The department posted on Facebook, “So, one of our Firefighter/Paramedics, using hand-eye coordination developed from years of playing baseball, was able to safely approach the crane and remove the plastic bag from around its head and neck.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2021 12:40:10 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

With summer getting closer, local fire departments and health experts are reminding people to never leave children or pets in cars alone. They say it only takes a few minutes for a car to get extremely hot. “Even for that short 10 or 15-minute run into the grocery store, don’t do it, it’s that simple,” South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joseph Knitter said.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2021 5:04:59 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

Firefighters report improperly discarded firepit ashes are to blame for a house fire Saturday on Madison’s northeast side that caused an estimated $25,000 in damage. City of Madison Fire Department crews arrived at 7:15 p.m. to a home on the 6200 block of Dominion Drive for a fire. According to MFD’s report, firefighters found a neighbor when they arrived who was extinguishing the fire with a garden hose.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2021 3:33:40 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

John Reed was named Grand Marshal of the 2021 Oconto Copperfest Parade. The theme of the parade, set for June 12, is “Thank You Essential Workers.” The kickoff event for Copperfest 2021 is the Grand Marshal Banquet, which starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 10 at the Oconto Elks Lodge. The special guest is Miss Wisconsin 2020, Alyssa Bohm.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2021 2:01:29 PM - SOURCE: Green Bay Press-Gazette

A fatal fire is under investigation, according to the Grand Chute Fire Department. On Saturday at 8:39 a.m., the Grand Chute Fire Department, Appleton Fire Department, and Fox Crossing Fire Department were dispatched to 2323 E. Wisconsin Ave. for a report of smoke in the house. When crews entered the home, they reported smoke in the building with no flames present.
- PUB DATE: 5/22/2021 5:26:55 PM - SOURCE: WGBA-TV NBC 26 Green Bay

One person and one dog are dead after a house fire took place in the City of Appleton on Saturday morning. According to the Grand Chute Fire Department, just after 8:30 a.m., multiple local fire agencies responded to the 2000 block E. Wisconsin Avenue for a report of smoke in a house. Upon arrival, crews made entry into the home and reported finding smoke in the building with no flames present.
- PUB DATE: 5/22/2021 2:45:39 PM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

As he officially entered the next chapter in his professional career, newly installed Caledonia Fire Chief Jeffrey Henningfeld was reflective. “This department took a chance on a skinny kid that lacked real direction in his life,” Henningfeld said of his earliest days in a department where he has given more than 30 years of service.
- PUB DATE: 5/22/2021 5:05:55 AM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

Firefighters in the Packerland Fire District are breaking in their new training facility. We first told you last year that three area fire departments teamed up to have the facility built in order to do critical training while staying close to their respective districts. “This container is the engineered container where we would do our live fire training,” Lt.
- PUB DATE: 5/22/2021 3:48:03 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

A Wisconsin Dells lifeguard is receiving national honors after she was credited with saving the life of a 9-year-old swimmer. The American Red Cross detailed that Jayden Taylor was serving as a lifeguard at the Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort on Aug. 27, 2020 when she saw 9-year-old Madelyn Lorentz go under the water.
- PUB DATE: 5/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission voted Thursday to appoint Acting Fire Chief Aaron Lipski to Chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department. Lipski will carry out the term of former Chief Mark Rohlfing, which ends May 17, 2022. Lipski has served with the Milwaukee Fire Department for 24 years. Before taking up Acting Chief, Lipski worked his way from deputy chief of the firefighting division to assistant chief for the support bureau.
- PUB DATE: 5/20/2021 5:51:25 PM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

After some in-depth discussion on Monday, May 17, Peshtigo City Council's Finance Committee agreed to recommend that the city use up to $23,000 of this year's Capital Improvement Projects loan to fulfill ISO Audit recommendations for the city's fire department. Fire Chief Chuck Gardon explained that a good ISO rating benefits all city property owners by keeping fire insurance costs down.
- PUB DATE: 5/20/2021 1:05:34 PM - SOURCE: Peshtigo Times

Investigators continue working to determine what caused the Whiting Paper Mill in Menasha to go up in flames. They say, they’re currently following leads and talking to witnesses, to possibly help them reach a conclusion. Authorities say the enormous fire smoldered for nearly 12 hours. A fire of that magnitude, officials say, will take some time to solve.
- PUB DATE: 5/20/2021 2:55:18 AM - SOURCE: WNFL Sports Radio

The death of a 42-year-old man who was found dead inside a burning vehicle in Milwaukee is now being investigated as a homicide. Authorities identified the victim as Lamonn C. Young of Milwaukee, also known as rapper Fatboi Gwalla Gwalla. Young's body was found inside a burning vehicle near Hawley Road and Martin Drive early Tuesday, May 18.
- PUB DATE: 5/20/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

A company known for mixing firefighting foam containing "forever chemicals" in northeastern Wisconsin is aiming to reduce the amount of contamination in the soil beneath its facility, but it won't be able to eliminate the hazardous compounds completely. Tyco Fire Products, a subsidiary of Johnson Controls, will begin work on a groundwater extraction treatment system this year, according to conditional approval it received from the state Department of Natural Resources.
- PUB DATE: 5/20/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Metered Site

There’s been more than 620 fires recorded in Wisconsin so far this year. More than 1,700 acres have burned. For comparison, in the same time frame last year there were 368 fires and less than a third as many acres burned. John A. Jorgensen is the aeronautics team leader for the DNR. He said it’s not necessarily the number of fires that makes this fire season unique, but the length of the season and how widespread fire risk is.
- PUB DATE: 5/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Aerial Firefighting Magazine

The pilot of a single-engine plane survived after crashing into a building near Batten International Airport, 3239 N. Green Bay Road, at about 8 p.m. Monday, the Racine Fire Department reported. Few details have been released. Photos posted on social media show that the plane crashed into an industrial/warehouse building at 1901 William St.
- PUB DATE: 5/18/2021 1:04:52 AM - SOURCE: Lake Geneva News - Metered Site