WAUPUN — Prairie Ridge Assisted Living in Waupun suffered a fire Monday evening, displacing several residents in the facility from their apartment homes.
KFIZ’s Doug Raflik reported at 6:57PM that the fire started in a ceiling light fixture, and was extinguished by an officer at around 7PM. 28 residents were reported evacuated. Some residents were put into ambulances during the situation for checkups and to take them out of the cold.
The Waupun Municipal Government posted the following statement at 7:35PM the night of the fire: “We are aware of an incident at Prairie Ridge Assisted Living in Waupun. Waupun Fire has responded and is currently working at the scene. People are asked to avoid the area of Prairie Ridge Assisted Living at this time. We will post an update as soon as we have more information.”
On-site family of one resident reported that they were able to return to the facility chapel after an immediate evacuation. No residents were injured and no rooms were damaged in the fire.
Update 8:15PM: The fire started in the ceiling, light fixture in the entryway lounge on east side of facility. Staff noticed it before it grew to the point of causing major damage. Family of resident: “If they had been at supper, they said that side probably would’ve been gone.” Residents are now allowed to return to their rooms.
The following is a press release from the Waupun Fire Department posted 11:30PM Monday night.
WAUPUN FIRE & RESCUE MEDIA RELEASE
February 5, 2024
Contact: B.J. DeMaa
bjdemaa@waupunpd.org
Waupun Fire Department Responds to Fire at Prairie Ridge Assisted Living Center
Waupun, WI. – At 6:56 p.m. on Monday, February 5, Waupun Fire Crews responded to Prairie Ridge Assisted Living at 819 Wilcox Street for a report of a fire in an outlet. While en route, crews were informed that a Waupun Police Officer had used a fire extinguisher to put out a ceiling light that had been burning.
Staff that were working in the area noticed smoke coming from the light fixture and immediately pulled a fire alarm pull station to alert building occupants of the fire. When fire units arrived, smoke was visible in the common area of the assisted living side of the facility and residents were in the process of being evacuated by facility staff. Crews were sent in to ensure the fire was out and to check for fire extension. Additional crews completed a primary search of the building and finished evacuating residents. Once crews confirmed the fire was out, ventilation was started to clear smoke from the building. Lifestar EMS, Waupun First Responders, and additional fire crews assisted facility staff with moving the evacuated residents to the dining hall portion of the building, which was unaffected by the fire, and completing a roster check. All 28 residents were accounted for. Personnel were on scene for a little over an hour working on ventilation and assisting with the moving of residents. Once ventilation was complete, a walk-through of the building was conducted and all areas except for the common area in the assisted living portion of the building were cleared for residents to return.
The Prairie Ridge Assisted Living building is comprised of two primary areas: an Assisted Living side and a Community-Based Residential Facility (CBRF) side. The incident occurred on the assisted living side of the complex which has 27 rooms and 28 residents. Residents on the CBRF side were momentarily evacuated and then advised they could return as the incident did not impact that area of the building. The facility does have a sprinkler system however it did not activate due to the early suppression of the fire.
There are no initial damage estimates at this time and fire damage was limited to the light fixture and the carpet below the fixture in the common area. All residents were allowed to return to their rooms for the evening. No firefighters or individuals at the scene were hurt during the incident. The fire investigation indicates that a failed light fixture caused the fire.
Agencies assisting included the Waupun Police Department, Waupun First Responders, Lifestar EMS, and the Fond du Lac County Communications Center.
