Fire causes $5,000 in damage to Watertown apartment complex

WATERTOWN, Wis. - Firefighters on Thursday morning, Sept. 17 responded to the scene of a fire at the Riverview Apartments on Hall Street in Watertown. The call came in around 3:35 a.m.

Watertown police arrived on the scene prior to the fire department and reported smoke in the hallway of the 32-unit apartment complex and started knocking on apartment doors to evacuate residents.

The fire department arrived on the scene at 3:41 a.m. and made entry to the first floor of the complex to locate the fire. The fire was located in the wall of an apartment and was opened up and extinguished.

The fire was contained to the wall area and had started to make its way to the apartment above. The fire department continued with evacuation and search of the units, performed an overhaul of the fire, and cleared smoke from the building.

There were no reported injuries from the fire.

The fire was contained and did not displace anyone from the apartment complex. The city building inspector was called to the scene for assistance.

The fire origin was in a wall located between the bathroom and the common hallway and the cause was from the replacement of plumbing in the bathroom which occurred earlier the previous day. The damage to the complex is estimated to be around $5,000.

The Watertown Fire Department requested help through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) and the following units arrived on scene to assist; Waterloo, Ixonia, Lake Mills, Johnson Creek, Clyman, and Lake Mills EMS. Sullivan provided an engine and Beaver Dam provided an ambulance to cover any additional calls in the city.