Superior firefighters battled two new blazes over the weekend, even as two house fires remain under investigation.
A Sunday sauna fire at the Bridgeview Hotel, 415 Hammond Ave., was started by a towel draped on a light fixture, according to Battalion Chief Mike Kolanczyk. The fire broke out at 12:26 p.m. and triggered an evacuation.
And a wood fire caused a basement blaze at 1808 E. Sixth St. Saturday morning. The home, owned by Patrick O'Brien, suffered an estimated $2,500 damage. No injuries were reported.
Last week, a house fire at 1704 N. 24th St. caused $10,000 damage. The cause is still undetermined, according to Kolanczyk.
And a fire Friday that destroyed an Allouez home is still under investigation, as well.
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The blaze began at about 3:35 p.m. Friday in the laundry room of the one-story residence. The three oldest children of Tony and Billie Jo Hewitt were home when the fire broke out, but managed to exit the house with one of the family dogs.
"Part of the problem was the walls were insulated with sawdust," Kolanczyk said.
He said the main section of the home may have been built as early as the 1890's, which would account for the flammable insulation. The fire caused an estimated $75,000 damage, effectively totaling the home.
The rash of fires made it an unusual weekend for Superior firefighters.
"Back in the mid-70s, that was a normal weekend for us," Kolanczyk said.
But the department's 25 years of stressing fire prevention and the use of smoke detectors has made a mark. Of the 2,515 runs the Superior Fire Department responded to last year, he said, the majority were medical response calls.
