Fire Department

City of Madison firefighters were called for a smoke investigation early this morning that turned out to be a spectacular fire seen from blocks away.

The first call to 5 Odana Court came in at 4:02 a.m. Ladder Company 2 was first on the scene, arriving to find flames through the roof rising 20-40 feet in the air.

The crew quickly adopted a defensive strategy, fighting the fire from the exterior only. Two water towers were set up to beat down the flames. Knockdown was at 5:05, but the water towers remained to cool hot spots and prevent re-ignition.

The fire destroyed most of the roof and one wall. Another wall was in danger of imminent collapse.The 6300 block of Odana Road was closed to traffic for about two hours.

The two-story building is owned by Community Coordinated Child Care (4C), housing the agency's Technical Assistance and Resource Center with approximately 25 employees. 4C leases a portion of the building to Lutheran Social Services, also with 25 employees.

The most recent appraisal of the building sets its value at $2.2 million. Investigators at the scene expect the building to be a total loss. No estimate is yet available regarding the value of the building's contents.

Engine 7 will remain at the scene for much of the day to monitor hot spots. Investigators hope to enter the building sometime today to begin their investigation of the fire's cause.