Four pets lost in Sunday fire in Ironwood

IRONWOOD - All household belongings and four pets were lost in a 7:54 p.m. Sunday fire that lit up the neighborhood at 206 Southwest St.

A wood stove located in the basement caught on fire, the homeowner, Tracy Sedin, told Ironwood Public Safety Department Director Andrew DiGiorgio.

"The homeowner stated that the basement was fully engulfed when she opened the basement door," DiGiorgio said.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming from the entire structure and it hung over the Bonnie Location area.

DiGiorgio said a smoke detector alarmed the residents, including children, who fled.

Neighbors said the building, which was once Scoop's Bar, was being remodeled and quite a bit of work had been done.

Three vehicles outside of the building were encased in thick ice on Monday around noon, and the fire was still smoldering.

The fire was fought in sub-zero weather. Firefighters cleared the scene at 5:10 a.m.

The neighbor across the street said he could feel the heat from the fire, but his house appeared to be undamaged.

Nine public safety officers and four volunteer firefighters responded.

In addition to the cold weather, firefighters said building construction issues posed a challenge in battling the blaze.

The Red Cross and Gogebic County Victim Services unit also responded.

The IPSD received a 3:15 a.m. Monday complaint from Bart Pertile at 303 Southwest St. that his basement was flooding with water from the fire trucks and his furnace had shut off.

The department of public works was notified of that complaint.