The Southern Door Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire early Friday afternoon in the 7500 block of Eliason Road, near Hainesville in the Town of Nasewaupee. The first units on the scene discovered a cottage that had been moved to the location & was under construction, was on fire. There was a hole that had burned through the floor, which was quickly extinguished. A passerby reported smoke coming from the eaves of the building & called 911. The damage was confined to the floor, adjacent walls & some construction tools were also damaged & there was smoke & water damage to the cottage & to the addition which was under construction. The cause is believed to be improper handling of ashes from a wood burning stove. The owner told firefighters that the ashes had been removed from the stove, but not removed from the building. The Southern Door Fire Department received mutual aid from the Brussels Union Gardner Department, & a Door County Emergency Services ambulance was also on the scene. Fire fighters would like to remind everybody who uses a fireplace or wood burning stove that proper handling & disposal of ashes is essential to prevent fires. they can flare up even after a long time, so be careful.
