We have an update on the investigation site after Tuesday morning’s fire at Butch’s bar in downtown Sturgeon Bay. Yesterday afternoon, while public safety crews and investigators were working at the site, a drone was directly above them and halted their recovery efforts prompting a call to the Sturgeon Bay Police Department. At that time, the FAA issued a 1-mile radius temporary flight restriction for all drones in that area except for public safety drones. That restriction lasted until 6:00 pm last night. Now, this morning, Sturgeon Bay Fire Chief Tim Dietman informed us that the reason for the temporary flight restriction was to clear the air space so public safety can fly their drone to document the scene and investigation without interference. This air-space restriction is in place again today until 6:00 pm, or until the scene can be released. This restriction is only in place so public safety and investigators have the airspace needed to perform the needed documentation. The Sturgeon Bay Police, Sturgeon Bay Fire Department, and State Fire Marshall are continuing the investigation into the cause of the fire while also searching for one other tenant who is still listed as “unaccounted for”. Currently, they are developing a plan to safely enter other areas of the structure to complete a thorough search of the debris. Yesterday, while removing small sections of the south wall, investigators recovered one deceased male and his body has been taken to Madison for identification. They would like to thank everyone for allowing them to complete the investigation without interference and for allowing privacy for those who have lost so much in this tragic event.
