One person dead, one still missing after historic Butch’s Bar in Sturgeon Bay goes up in flames
STURGEON BAY – One person is dead, one is injured and another remains unaccounted for after a fire early Tuesday morning at Butch’s Bar in downtown Sturgeon Bay, according to police.
The century-old building housing the tavern also held 20 apartments, nine of which were occupied at the time of the fire.
Sturgeon Bay Assistant Police Chief Dan Brinkman said in a media briefing Tuesday morning that two people who were renters were missing, but by afternoon the department said one body was found in the rubble while the other missing person has yet to be accounted for. Authorities have not yet identified the body.
One person was taken to a burn center, although their condition is unknown, Brinkman said. No firefighters or rescue personnel were injured.
Police, fire crews and emergency services responded to the fire around 3:40 a.m. to 112 S. Third Ave. All nine mainland fire departments on the Door County Peninsula responded, Brinkman said.
He said he couldn’t comment on how the fire started because it’s still under investigation. The state Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to assist.
The amount of damage isn't yet determined, but the roof and second floor of the building collapsed and crews are concerned about its four walls possibly collapsing, Door County EMS Director Aaron LeClair said. In the afternoon update from the police, Brinkman said the severely compromised integrity of the building is making search conditions "very difficult."
The building housing Butch's was built in late 1904 and is part of the National and State Register of Historic Places' Third Avenue Historic District, which encompasses 38 buildings in downtown Sturgeon Bay.
Butch's was known among Door County music buffs as a popular spot for live music featuring local bands, especially for its weekly Wednesday night open jam sessions.
Brinkman said community services are working with tenants who lost everything in the fire. United Way of Door County is working to help and other downtown businesses opened their doors to offer hot coffee and temporary shelter.
"As Sturgeon Bay does, our community has stepped up," Brinkman said.
Roads were blocked off for a two-block area around the fire as fire crews continued to battle the blaze. The fire had been brought under control by mid-morning, but firefighters remained on watch for hot spots that might flare up.
The cold temperatures were adding to the challenge for firefighters, Brinkman said.
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” he said. “I know they train for it, but it must be brutal.”
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Contact Jake Prinsen at jprinsen@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PrinsenJake.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: One person dead, one missing in fire at Butch’s Bar in Sturgeon Bay
