Fire Department

Ventilation proved to be an overwhelming task following this fire. Smoke spread through the trash chutes into the residential hallways of the three-story building. Additionally, firefighters estimated it would take multiple hours to ventilate the large garage where the majority of smoke had accumulated. Considering all available tools at their disposal, Ladder 2 thought to request the airboat from MFD’s Lake Rescue Team, which is equipped with a large fan on the back (see photos). After the Lake Rescue Team positioned the boat, crews stepped outside and the fan pushed all the smoke out of the garage within a matter of minutes. Firefighters used their standard fans to ventilate the remaining residential floors. Fire Investigators believe this fire was accidental in nature, but the cause of the fire is undetermined. --PIO Cynthia Schuster

The Madison Fire Department is on scene of a dumpster fire that occurred in the parking garage of Normandy Apartments, 4715 Sheboygan Avenue.

An automatic sprinkler activation caught the fire early and extinguished it. However, heavy smoke conditions persist inside the garage with moderate to heavy smoke conditions throughout the three-story apartment complex.

There are no injuries reported at this time, and nobody has been displaced from their apartment. Firefighters are working to ventilate the building.

This report will be updated as more information becomes available.