Firefighters Extinguish Fire at UW-Madison Porter Boathouse

A fire at the UW-Madison Porter Boathouse caused $10,000 in damage. Porter Boathouse is a new three story crewhouse for the UW men's and women's rowing teams. On Sunday, March 17th, City of Madison Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the Porter Boathouse shortly before 9:00 am. After entering the main portion of the building, Engine 4's crew noticed smoke coming from a back room. After slowly opened the door, smoke poured out of the room. They quickly closed the door and readied a Carbon Dioxide extinguisher. Crew members shut the power off and extinguished the fire. Firefighters also turned fans off within the building to channel the smoke to prevent further damage to the shells and equipment. City of Madison Fire Investigators, UW Safety and UW PD are looking into an electrical fault in a vault room. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation. The fire caused smoke odor throughout the boathouse and soot residue to 15 - 20 shells. No one was injured as a result of this fire.

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