Outdoor Sauna Ignites

An outdoor sauna ignited Sunday evening on Madison's west side. No one was home at the time of the fire. Several neighbors smelled an odor in their neighborhood for several hours, but could not pinpoint the smell or location. About three hours later, a neighbor saw flames and smoke coming from the backyard of 5613 Taychopera Road. Another neighbor knocked on the homeowners' door, but no one was home. He then called 911, which was around 7:15 pm. Smoke from the fire was so thick and heavy that it banked down to street level and covered a nearby intersection. The streets in the area are narrow, so when firefighters arrived they had to strategically place the rigs. Engine 9 and Medic 6 were first on the scene. They saw smoke and flames coming from the backyard, which was surrounded by a wooden fence. Once they entered the yard, firefighters could see smoke coming from a 14 x 14 wooden structure which was approximately 45 feet away from the home. Engine 9 entered the out building to extinguish the fire while Engine 4 brought in a backup line and Ladder 2 ventilated the structure. The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes. The out building housed a sauna, office and a resting area. The home did not suffer any damages. No one was injured during this fire. Fire investigators determined the fire started in the sauna and was unintentional. The fire caused an estimated $45,000 in damage. Many neighbors came forward and did a nice job reporting to the investigators on their findings regarding the fire.

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