Oconomowoc home destroyed by fire
A fire in the town of Oconomowoc destroyed a home May 16.
The Western Lakes Fire District received a call about an active house fire at N74 W37470 Sonday Road at about 7:31 p.m., according to Chief Brad Bowen. While heading to the scene, the duty chief noticed heavy smoke from miles away and upgraded the call.
The first engine arrived at 7:41 p.m. to find half the house was on fire as well as a car in the driveway. It was unclear whether the house was occupied. While town of Oconomowoc Police interviewed callers reporting the fire, they were able to make contact with the home owner and confirmed no one was inside the residence.
The first three units at the scene were able to suppress the main body of the fire using 5,000 gallons of water, Bowen said. The fire was under control by 8:53 p.m.
Bowen said WLFD encountered downed powerlines across the driveway when crews arrived. The wires were still energized until WE Energies arto cut the power to them.
"This is a reminder for occupants and residents to consider these dangers at fire scene," he said. "Just a week ago in Vilas County, two individuals were found deceased at a residential structure fire and found in the area of downed powerlines outside of the home."
Fire personnel remained at the scene until 11:30 p.m. No injuries were reported. The home was deemed inhabitable and a total loss. The owners are staying somewhere else.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Departments from Merton, Ashippun, Lisbon, Ixonia, Watertown, Pewaukee, Hartland, Hartford and Lake Country Fire & Rescue provided mutual aid during the incident, Bowen said.
Drew Dawson can be reached at ddawson@jrn.com or (262) 289-1324.
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Oconomowoc home destroyed by fire
