There was a devastating fire in downtown Sturgeon Bay this morning and emergency response crews are still on scene assessing the incident. The call came in at 3:40 am of a fire at Butch’s Bar (112 S. 3rd Ave), a fully-involved structure fire. On the scene were all 9 mainland fire departments, the Sturgeon Bay Police Department, and Door County EMS . The fire appears to have been contained to just the Butch’s building. The brutal cold conditions added some difficulty to the response, and warming stations were set up. Aaron LeClair from Door County EMS details some of the help…..
LeClair added that one occupant from the building has been transported to the Door County Medical Center, but that person’s condition is not known at this time. Sturgeon Bay Assistant Police Chief Dan Brinkman reports that there were 20 rooms upstairs, and 9 were occupied over the evening. They have accounted for some of those occupants but some have still not been accounted for. Assistant Chief Brinkman tells us more…..
There is a 2-block corridor around Butch’s which is currently closed off to vehicle traffic. Some nearby businesses are open today, but they are accessible only by foot. Assistant Chief Brinkman tells us here how the community is already stepping forward to help, as there are now at least 9 occupants who were displaced from the fire….
As for the Butch’s building, Aaron LeClair reports that the roof and the 2nd story have collapsed from the blaze. They continue to respond at the scene in hopes that the brick walls do not collapse as well. The origin and/or cause of the fire is officially not known at this time, but investigators are on the scene and continue their work alongside the other responders. We will be reporting more on this fire as more information becomes available.
