East Side Duplex Fire Under Investigation

The cause of a fire that displaced thirteen people and severely damaged an east side duplex is under investigation.

An occupant at 26 O’Brien Court reported hearing a “pop” outside and looked out the window to find fire on the side of the building. The occupant began alerting others in the residence of the fire. Smoke alarms sounded on both sides of the duplex as smoke and fire began to spread into the duplex through the void spaces of the mansard roof. The fire did impact the residential spaces on both sides of the duplex, displacing both households.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire on the side and back of the duplex. There was fire in the yard, which contained various objects including gas cans, propane tanks, a golf cart, tires, and other unidentifiable objects. Also on fire was a small trailer that was fully involved and almost touching the side of the duplex.

MFD crews fought fire from the outside as additional firefighters performed a coordinated fire attack inside the building. Search and rescue operations confirmed all human occupants had evacuated the building uninjured; however, eight kittens were found dead. Five additional felines (two adults and three kittens) were rescued by firefighters. One firefighter suffered minor injuries during the cat rescue.

Firefighters remained on scene to overhaul fire-damaged structures and cool down persistent hot spots. Knockdown of the fire was declared approximately one hour and 20 minutes into the incident.

MGE was called to the scene, and the Madison Fire Department Occupant Services Unit summoned the help of the American Red Cross to assist the displaced occupants. Initial damage estimates are around $250,000.