Posted: Aug 25, 2016 6:56 AM EST Updated: Aug 25, 2016 7:12 AM EST
Courtesy: WBAY/Twitter OCONTO FALLS, WI (WKOW) -- A massive fire broke out at the Caldwell House, a 121-year-old building in downtown Oconto Falls, WI late Wednesday night.
WBAY-TV reports firefighters were called to the Caldwell House on Main Street August 24. They battled large flames overnight and finally got the fire under control early Thursday morning.
Firefighters tell WBAY the fire started in the attic and spread quickly while crews evacuated people from the second floor apartments. No one was injured. "By the time we got halfway through the building, the fire started coming down on us already, so we had to quit. Good thing was that everyone did get out of the building, as far as we know everyone got out,” Chief Tim Magnin with Oconto Falls Fire Department told WBAY.
Chief Magnin says several families have been displaced. The American Red Cross is helping them.
The fire department says there is smoke and fire damage throughout the historic building. The age of the building presented some challenges for crews. There are no "fire stops" in the walls, and that allows flames to spread more quickly, firefighters tell WBAY.
The Wisconsin Historical Society says Caldwell House was built in 1895 as a hotel. More recently, it was a pub and restaurant. It was being remodeled into a night club.
“It’s one of the landmarks, what they called the Saunders building, way back in the day. Built in 1895,” Chief Magnin told WBAY. “So it’s kind of a landmark in the city, it’s kind of a loss to the city, but thank God nobody got hurt.”