Quick Response & Brick Construction Save Building

Fire caused approximately $5,000 damage to a bakery at 1348 Williamson Street shortly after noon today. The fire involved trash carts, furniture and miscellaneous materials stored outside, near the back wall of the building. City of Madison Firefighters say the brick construction of the building and a quick response from firefighters prevented damage from being much worse. Engine 3, housed on Williamson Street, was sent to an outside fire at 12:08 this afternoon. As they approached the building they observed flames and heavy black smoke extending above the roofline at the rear of the one story building. They immediately requested a full structure fire response and pulled a hose to the rear of the building. The fire was quickly extinguished and firefighters began checking for fire extension into the building. The flames discolored the brick wall, broke a window and damaged a pickup truck next to the building. The rear door of the bakery was heavily damaged by the flames, but kept the fire from extending into the building. An inspector from Public Health of Madison and Dane County responded to the scene and advised that the bakery can resume production as soon as the rear door is replaced. No injuries were reported at the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fires starting outside a building can damage the exterior of the building and may spread to its interior. The City of Madison Fire Department offers the following tips to prevent these types of fires from damaging a building: • Keep vegetation around the building trimmed and watered. • Do not throw cigarette butts into mulch, planters, or dry vegetation around a building. • Avoid storing combustible items next to the building. • Keep trash carts and dumpsters away from the building in case they are involved in a fire. • Keep grills at least 10 feet away from any combustible construction.