It's said cats have nine lives, but two dogs are lucky to be alive thanks to a Caledonia Police Department K-9 officer who pulled one of the canines from a burning home on Monday afternoon, July 6. CPD released the dramatic body camera video Tuesday. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Monday, Caledonia K-9 Officer Cory Radke and his partner, Lou, were on their way home when he saw a lot of smoke in the sky.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2020 6:39:28 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

Brown County Emergency Management officials say two tornado sirens in the area are currently down. According to the County, the siren on Lombardi Avenue just west of Oneida has been taken down and will need to be replaced. Currently, the replacement date by the City of Green Bay is still to be determined.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2020 5:58:01 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

The City of Sun Prairie is expected to unveil a statue and memorial Friday in honor of the firefighters who assisted during 2018’s downtown explosion. Sun Prairie Fire Chief Chris Garrison told News 3 Now the ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. and last for about a half hour. Officials said the statue will be of a firefighter whose hands are holding the helmet of Fire Captain Cory Barr, who was killed after responding to the gas leak that caused the explosion in July 2018.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2020 4:49:16 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

Edmund F. Kretschmer, 92, of Wheatland, passed away Monday, July 6, 2020 at his home. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Edmund worked for Lois Feedmill before working as a loader operator for and retiring from the Kenosha County Highway Department after over 30 years of service. He was a member of the VFW in Burlington and a volunteer firefighter for Wheatland.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2020 3:09:28 PM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

The Chippewa Falls Fire Chief says there was injury from the fire and the person was taken to the hospital. Their condition is unknown at this time. The fire is believed to be cooking related according to the preliminary investigation. According to the Red Cross, there are 8 apartment units that are impacted by the fire and 24 people have been displaced.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2020 2:36:24 PM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV NBC 13 Eau Claire

A truck caught on fire on County NN near Marathon City. The fire was reported around 11:20am Wednesday. Marathon City firefighters say the semi trailer was fully engulfed when they arrived. The flames were put out about a half-hour later. Traffic was restricted on County NN while emergency crews were in the area.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2020 11:38:06 AM - SOURCE: WRIG-AM 1390

An elderly apartment complex was evacuated Tuesday night after thousands of gallons of water damaged the building. According to the Little Chute Fire Department, crews were dispatched shortly after 11 p.m. for an unknown water emergency at the complex. Upon arrival, crews found that a water connection on an upper level was damaged, allowing for thousands of gallons of water to be distributed throughout the building.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2020 5:40:58 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

The Kiel Fire Department reports an apartment building sustained substantial damage after a lightning strike Tuesday evening. Firefighters were called to 451 Clay Street just after 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival, crews found a fire had started on two sides of the four-unit building. The fire was quickly extinguished and damage was discovered in the attic and interior area.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2020 4:52:33 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

The Beaver Dam Common Council tabled a vote on a possible fire department referendum for two more weeks after council members wanted time for more public input. Fire Chief Alan Mannel is seeking a referendum question on the November ballot to fund six new firefighter/paramedic positions for the city — to go from 18 full-time staff to 24.
- PUB DATE: 7/7/2020 3:47:40 PM - SOURCE: Daily Citizen

A second person has died as a result of a house explosion Monday in the town of Wheaton. Dale Lambert, 66, and Belinda Wedemeyer, 68, were killed in the explosion, which destroyed the home at 7336 10th Ave. The cause of the blast is being investigated by the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, Eau Claire Sheriff’s Office, Eau Claire Fire Department, Eau Claire Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and Chippewa Fire District.
- PUB DATE: 7/7/2020 2:35:51 PM - SOURCE: Chippewa Herald

Three people are displaced after a lightning strike caused a fire in downtown Madison on Tuesday night. Crews were sent to 112 W. Wilson St. at about 6 p.m. after an occupant of the three flat apartment complex reported hearing an explosion. Several firefighters climbed up to the building’s roof and into a third floor window, which had smoke billowing out of its side.
- PUB DATE: 7/7/2020 2:14:12 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

The misuse of fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend has accrued an estimated total of $179,000 worth of damage in the City of Green Bay. According to the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, crews responded to seven fire calls in relation to firework use over the holiday weekend. No deaths or injuries were reported in relation to these incidents, but a total of $179,000 worth of damages was done as a result.
- PUB DATE: 7/7/2020 4:47:58 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

COVID-19 has changed many aspects of life for all of us. It's also causing a well-known Brown County 911 dispatcher to call it a career sooner than planned. The pandemic pushed Tracy Ertl into early retirement from what she calls a mission, not a job. "I've helped deliver babies over the phone. I've talked people out of taking their lives.
- PUB DATE: 7/6/2020 7:45:17 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Looking back at the holiday weekend, numbers show it was a busy weekend for first responders in our area. Over the holiday weekend (from Friday to Sunday), the Brown County Emergency Dispatch Center fielded 174 calls related to fireworks. That’s almost as much as they fielded in all of June this year.
- PUB DATE: 7/6/2020 3:45:30 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

A house incurred extensive damage and firefighters coped with trying conditions due to the hot weather at the scene of a fire Monday afternoon. Caledonia and South Shore firefighters were dispatched just after 2 p.m. Monday to the residence located at 6821 Beechnut Drive, just south of Six Mile Road.
- PUB DATE: 7/6/2020 3:44:00 PM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

Fire officials were called to a house fire near S. West Avenue and Richard Street around 10 p.m. Sunday, July 6th for a report of the smell of smoke in the building. Upon arrival crews found smoke coming from the roof of a two-story, four-family building. Fire crews immediately entered the building and assisted one resident out.
- PUB DATE: 7/6/2020 1:30:39 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

Improperly discarded fireworks caused a house fire on Madison’s west side Sunday night, according to a release from the city’s fire department. Crews were dispatched to a home along the 400 block of Seven Nations Drive around 11 p.m Saturday for reports of a porch on fire. Firefighters arrived to find flames and smoke coming from the front of the house, the release said.
- PUB DATE: 7/6/2020 10:03:40 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

A fire destroyed a detached garage and caused significant damage to the exteriors of two homes on Appleton’s southeast side Sunday evening. Firefighters found the two-stall garage engulfed when they responded to the report of a fire on the 1200-block of S. Walden Ave. at 6:45 P.M. They had the fire out in 10 minutes, but it took another 45 minutes to cool down the hot spots.
- PUB DATE: 7/6/2020 5:51:13 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

A barn is considered a total loss after a fire in Dodge County. According to the Reeseville Fire Department, crews were called to W10409 Highway I around 7:40 P.M. Friday night. Fire Chief Nic Gay said upon arrival the barn was engulfed in flames and a nearby shed was also on fire. Initial reports said that four people were accounted for as they went back into the barn to rescue animals, according to firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 7/5/2020 5:38:51 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV Fox 47 Madison

The Lake Mills Fire Department is mourning the loss of one of its own. Capt. Mark Bentheimer, 55, died this week after battling leukemia for four months. He was the department's most senior captain. "His passion was definitely the fire department, his family, his grandkids," said his wife, Peggy Bentheimer.
- PUB DATE: 7/5/2020 4:41:50 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee