The Madison Police Department and Madison Fire Department responded to a fire on the 500 block of W. Washington Ave. Wednesday morning. The street was blocked off from Bedford Street to Basset Street. Nobody was hurt, but the house is no longer safe to live in will likely have to be torn down, a resident said.
Residents have created a GoFundMe to raise money for support as they navigate this challenge.
“We have been tirelessly searching for a new place to live, but so far, rental agencies haven’t been able to offer us a lease,” the GoFundMe reads.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire on the back side of the building, according to a news release from MFD.
Residents were altered about the fire when a neighbor awoke them after hearing a loud noise and going outside, noticing the fire and calling the police, a resident said.
The fire extended into the attic after traveling up the siding and into the eaves. Crews extinguished the exterior fire and worked to put out the remaining fire in the attic. They ventilated the roof to release smoke and gases. No additional fire spread was found, according to the release.
Metro Transit provided a bus for residents to stay warm. The American Red Cross assisted six residents with emergency needs. All residents are University of Wisconsin students. No injuries were reported. Damage is estimated at approximately $500,000.
This fire is under investigation and is part of a larger inquiry into three separate downtown-area fires that occurred within the same hour. The other two fires were minor and did not cause property damage.
Because the fires occurred closely together in time, arson detectives from the Madison Police Department were called to the scene, according to an MPD incident report. MPD is currently investigating the fires, according to the report.
The fire department was dispatched at around 5 a.m., and the cause of the fire remains unknown.
MPD Detectives have identified and are in contact with a person of interest in connection to this fire and two others that occurred in the early morning hours of September 11, 2024, on W. Johnson Street/State Street and Langdon Street, according to an updated incident report.
Through further investigation, detectives confirmed that all three fires are connected, and the person of interest is currently in custody.
