Fire departments respond to Ironwood blaze

By RICHARD JENKINS

rjenkins@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood - Firefighters from Ironwood and Hurley responded to a structure fire on the 100 block of East Ayer Street in Ironwood Wednesday night across the street from the Ironwood Post Office.

Ironwood Public Safety Department officers received a report of a commercial building structure fire at 135 E. Ayer St. at approximately 8 p.m., according to IPSD Director Andrew DiGiorgio, and additional members of the IPSD fire division were paged.

"The first units arrived on the scene within four minutes of the call and found a large amount of smoke coming from the building. The initial entry team into the building located fire in the basement area," DiGiorgio said in a news release. "As a result of the building design, a defensive attack was initiated. A mutual aid request was made due to building size and location."

The fire was under control by 11 p.m., DiGiorgio said, and the last responding units cleared at approximately 12:45 a.m.

IPSD personnel on the scene said two addresses in the same structure sustained extensive damage, including the fire burning through the first-level floor, but the response kept the fire from spreading further east down the block.

In the news release, DiGiorgio said two businesses received extensive smoke and fire damage, while another business only sustained smoke damage.

Although the second floor of the structure sustained some damage, IPSD personnel said much of the damage was contained to the lower parts of the building.

No injuries were reported.

DiGiorgio said Fire Marshal Brandon Snyder is investigating the cause of the fire.