City of Madison firefighters responded to a basement fire at 414 West Gilman around noon today. Crews were dispatched to Amy's Café at that address at 11:54 a.m.

When crews arrived, they found smoke coming from the basement.

Fire department personnel performed a search and rescue, evacuating residents from second-floor apartments in the building. No one was injured.

Firefighters had the fire knocked down within minutes of their arrival.

Fire damage was confined to the basement. There was light smoke damage on the first floor, where the restaurant is located, and virtually no damage in the second floor residential units.

From a firefighting standpoint, basement/cellar fires are among the most dangerous and challenging fires encountered inside a building.
They have limited ingress/egress, limited ventilation and drainage problems with attack water.

Fire in basements causes rapid increases in heat buildup, making these types of fires particularly demanding.

The Department of Public Health for Madison & Dane County was contacted to conduct an inspection of the restaurant before it re-opens.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.