Garage fire
Prairie du Chien Fire Department firefighters hose down the remains of a garage at 301 S. State Street Saturday morning. The shed next to the garage was also damaged in the fire as was some siding on three nearby houses. (Photo by Gary Howe)
Fire destroys
garage in Prairie du Chien
Good samaritans wake up homeowner, save boats
By Ted Pennekamp
The Prairie du Chien Fire Department responded to a garage fire at the Harold and Gloria Hutson residence at 301 S. State St., Prairie du Chien on Saturday morning. Fire Chief Harry Remz said that the detached garage was fully engulfed when the fire department arrived at the scene after receiving the call at about 8 a.m.
The garage was a total loss. Part of a shed on the property was also damaged. Part of the siding on a neighboring house sustained damage. Siding on a neighboring shed and part of the siding on two other garages across the alley melted.
“It could have been worse,” said Remz who noted that nobody was injured. Remz said that the fire had probably been going for hours before the call was received. He said at some point a window popped out and the automatic garage door opener shorted, which made the garage door go up. The resulting rush of oxygen then really made the flames much stronger.
Employees from Sheckler Construction who had been working on a roof nearby, went to the residence and woke up Harold Hutson who had been sleeping on his couch, said Remz. The Sheckler Construction employees also moved two boats and a pickup truck away from the garage fire. Remz said that the boats and the truck surely would have been lost had they not been moved.
“They did a tremendous job,” said Remz about the Sheckler Construction crew.
“They were really unsung heroes,” said owner Harold Hutson about the Sheckler Construction employees. Hutson also said that a neighbor woman had earlier knocked on his door but he was in a deep sleep and didn’t wake up. Hutson’s wife Gloria was at work at the time of the fire.
“Had they not been roofing, who knows,” said Hutson. “I give them a lot of credit. I was in a deep sleep. What a rude awakening.”
Hutson said that his boats would have normally been in the garage but the garage was full of books, magazines and many other items in preparation for a city-wide garage sale.
Hutson’s boats are a flatbottom fishing boat and a Bayliner. Two men moved the flatbottom to a property across the street. The Bayliner was moved to a spot next to the flatbottom. “That Bayliner is pretty heavy and those guys just ran with it,” said Hutson. “Their adrenalin must have kicked in.”
The heat was intense and the garage went down in hurry, said Hutson. “It wasn’t even 15 minutes and that thing (the garage) was on the ground, gone,” he said. “It was a very quick, hot fire. The flames were shooting up really good. The power line was snapping and sparking. It was just incredible. It was very exciting in a weird way. It was just pretty intense for a little while.”
Remz said that the Prairie du Chien Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Prairie du Chien Police Department, Tri-State Ambulance, Madison Gas and Electric and Alliant Energy.
“We knocked it (the fire) down really fast,” said Remz who noted that the department was on scene until about 10:30 a.m.
Remz said the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.
