Family, pets escape house fire in Town of Seymour

SEYMOUR, Wis. (WBAY) - Fire engulfed a more than century-old home in the Town of Seymour Sunday.

At about 8:24 p.m., Seymour City and Rural Fire Departments were called to a home filling with smoke on Pearl Street.

Smoke detectors alerted the family to the fire. The family evacuated the home and saved their pets.

Flames spread from the enclosed porch to the walls adjacent to the porch area -- and then to every level of the house before a handful of crews got it under control. Firefighters said it was a “labor-intensive task” to open up the void spaces to put out the fire.

“Parts of the home were over 125 years old, with many remodels and additions causing many void spaces for the fire to travel,” reads a statement from Seymour Rural Fire Department.

Action 2 News saw police blocking off traffic Sunday night, but now anyone driving by can see the damage left behind with the charred wood, exposed walls and siding, and yellow fire line tape.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by an overheated electrical circuit. They’re reminding people to keep anything flammable away from heating units as temperatures drop.

”As a reminder, space heaters can contribute to an electrical overload. When using auxiliary heating units be sure all the components in the electrical circuit are rated to handle the electrical load, and keep combustibles clear around heating units,” reads a statement from the Seymour Rural Fire Department.

No one was hurt during the fire. The family is making housing arrangements.

Fire and law enforcement officials did not have a dollar estimate on the damage.

“The Seymour Rural Fire Department would like to thank all those agencies who assisted with the fire including Seymour City FD, Pulaski FD, Bonduel FD, Nichols FD, Oneida FD, Black Creek FD, Seymour Rescue, Outagamie County CERT, and Outagamie County Sheriff Dept.,” says the department.

INITIAL REPORT

Reports of a house fire on W 2076 Pearl St. came in just before 9:00pm on Sunday.

Multiple fire crews responded to the scene and police presence was active blocking off traffic to get to the road.

Our photojournalist, Chris Schattl, spoke with officials at the scene confirming the fire was still active around 10:00pm and we were not allowed any closer at the time.

Police could not confirm any more details with us, but Action 2 News will update this post once we learn more information.

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