Early morning fire reported at Kenosha Education Association building
The Kenosha Fire Department battled blaze Friday morning at the Kenosha Education Association building at the corner of 55th Street and 56th Avenue. Firefighters were on the scene of the at 3:35 AM, but it raged for about two-and-a-half hours.
Reports from the scene indicate that the fire apparently started on the outside of the building and spread into the attic. The steel roof on the structure hampered firefighters in their efforts to put out the blaze. Years ago, there was an additional wooden roof placed on top of the original steel, creating an attic with no way in or out.
"Assuming they had some issues as time progressed with the roof and they elected to put a trust wood roof on it that would be more of a conventional appearance like we have with today's standards," Kenosha Battalion Chief Matthew Haeter said.Because of that steel sheeting that's present and other mechanicals they put up there there was no physical way for our firefighters to get into that space."
What caused the fire and the extend of the damage to the building is not known at this time.
No one was injured while fighting the fire.
The Kenosha Education Association has released the following statement:
“Our Association of educators continues to assess the situation and will lose no time moving forward with our mission – supporting Kenosha educators so they are best prepared to welcome their students back to school. It’s still too early to tell the extent of damage from the early-morning fire at the Kenosha Education Association headquarters, but local teachers and support staff are thankful no one was harmed. Our appreciation goes out to the rescue crews that responded to keep our neighbors safe. We are overwhelmed by the absolute outpouring of support from teachers' unions across the state and nation and other unions, including the local United Auto Workers."