Fire at Palmyra American Legion; memorabilia, rifles saved
PALMYRA, Wis. - Firefighters in Palmyra battled a fire Wednesday morning, May 13, at the local American Legion hall, causing interior damage but sparing important memorabilia and ceremonial rifles from destruction.
What we know:
The Palmyra Public Safety Department said crews were called to the building on 3rd Street around 11:45 a.m. Officials said it took about 30 minutes to get the flames under control.
No injuries were reported.
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Authorities said the building sustained interior damage, but it was not considered a total loss.
Additionally, this week’s pancake breakfast has been canceled following the fire.
What they're saying:
"Our chief arrived, called that we had a working fire. We quickly upgraded the MABAS system to the box alarm which brings units from all around including the Salvation," said Dylan Callas, deputy fire chief for the Palmyra Fire Department. "We actually had quite the response initially. So we were able to, in tandem, start the fire attack but also help save these memories and everything that were in there."
Crews were able to remove war memorabilia and rifles stored inside the American Legion hall during the response.
"Being a former volunteer firefighter, I know what goes on scene, so we’re all excited to jump in and come out and help, with food and hydration and everything to keep these guys going out here," said Mike Neiman, EDS coordinator for the Salvation Army of Waukesha.
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Dale Mitchell, finance officer for the Palmyra American Legion, said firefighters were able to limit smoke damage while also removing many of the organization’s most important items from the building.
"We didn’t get a lot of smoke damage. The fire department is really good," he said. "They got most of our important stuff out, including our ceremonial rifles and honor guard rifles – they got them all out."
What we don't know:
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.