A passerby driving along Hickory Drive in the Town of Kewaskum spotted a plume of black smoke rising above Wollner Plumbing & Excavating on Thursday afternoon and called 911, discovering a truck engulfed in flames inside a large outbuilding on the property. By the time crews arrived, the fire had already begun tearing through the structure, ultimately leaving the shop and much of the heavy equipment inside a total loss.
The blaze was reported at 9018 Hickory Drive, according to a Washington County Sheriff's Office statement published by Washington County Insider. The destroyed outbuilding measured 11,000 square feet and was built of steel and concrete block. As reported by FOX6 News Milwaukee, the outbuilding was unoccupied at the time, and the property owner managed to move multiple vehicles and pieces of heavy-duty construction and excavating equipment away from the fire before it consumed the rest of the building.
Fire Traced to a Dump Truck Near the North Wall
The cause remained under investigation, according to the sheriff's office. FOX6 reported that a truck was on fire inside the outbuilding and that the northern portion of the structure was burning. The sheriff's office reported that the fire spread through the rest of the building. The fire call came in around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Washington County Insider.
The sheriff's office estimated property damage at well over $2 million, factoring in both the structure and the remaining heavy-duty equipment lost inside it. Industry data from the National Fire Protection Association says warehouse fires declined substantially over the past 34 years, although annual counts fluctuated and reached a 2024 high within the recent period — a dynamic that fits a plumbing and excavating operation stocked with heavy machinery.
Eleven Departments Answered the Call
Extinguishing the fire required a total of 11 fire departments, led by Kewaskum Fire and backed by crews from Campbellsport, West Bend, Jackson, Allenton, Eden, Fillmore, Beachwood, Kohlsville, Boltonville, and Theresa, according to the sheriff's office account. WE Energies also assisted fire personnel at the scene. The Slinger Fire Department identifies Washington County as part of MABAS Division 111.
The response involved assistance from neighboring departments. The fire also required mutual aid from area departments.
A Local Business
Wollner Plumbing & Excavating is the plumbing and excavating company whose outbuilding was damaged in the fire.
What triggered the dump truck to catch fire inside the shop has not been disclosed, and no formal insurance loss determination for the building or the destroyed equipment has been made public. The Washington County Sheriff's Office has not indicated a timeline for resolving either question.
