The local Red Cross chapter said the organization's disaster volunteers are working with people displaced from four units of a 90-unit residential property affected Wednesday by a fire.
According to De Pere Fire Rescue, the first fire units arrived late Wednesday morning and found smoke venting out of the roof and a second-floor apartment. A limited number of residents had already gotten out of their apartments. De Pere Police arrived on the scene and assisted with traffic control and evacuation of the additional apartments.
The fire was extinguished, and further fire damage was prevented to the rest of the apartment complex. Additional crews were assigned to evacuate all residents from their apartments. Four apartments were damaged due to the fire and the displaced residents have been relocated by the American Red Cross. It is not known how long the residents will be displaced from their apartments.
The Brown County Fire Investigation Team is actively investigating the cause of the fire. Residences were allowed to re-enter the unaffected apartment units once the power was restored. There were no injuries to any residents or firefighters. Fire units were on the scene for approximately four hours and fire damage was estimated at approximately $200,000.
Earlier Wednesday, Red Cross teams provided food and water for those displaced and first responders as the situation evolved. Ultimately, power and other utilities were able to be restored to all but four units of the building on the 900 block of N. Broadway.
The Red Cross says it will work with the residents from those four units to identify and, if need be, provide assistance for temporary sheltering, meals, and other essentials, as well as help through the next steps in their recovery.
As of this moment, the American Red Cross says it opened one formal case from one of those units, which housed two people.
