Five-alarm fire draws crews from multiple counties to Buena Vista

By Brandi Makuski

BUENA VISTA — A five-alarm fire destroyed a large home in Buena Vista on Friday, drawing firefighters from four counties as flames spread into the surrounding woods.

Firefighters were called to 5576 Shady Drive at about 11:29 a.m.

“It was a large log cabin,” Plover Fire Chief Mark Deaver said. “It was fully engulfed when I pulled into the driveway.”

The home sits far off the road behind a thick stand of tall trees, making it difficult to get water to the fire. Crews relay-pumped water from one engine to the attack engine near the house, while tenders shuttled additional water to the scene.

The attached garage and a vehicle inside it were also on fire.

The homeowner suffered minor burns while trying to retrieve belongings but did not need to be taken to a hospital, Deaver said. No firefighters were injured.

Temperatures around 80 degrees, combined with the heavy tree cover around the home, trapped heat around firefighters.

“It was a very hot fire burning, the air was very hot,” Deaver said.

The fire spread into the woods around the home, and burning material carried by the smoke column raised concerns about spot fires. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources firefighters took over the wildland portion of the incident.

“The ground was burning around the house,” Deaver said. “It did spread into the woods.”

Thick black smoke poured into the sky for more than an hour and could be seen for miles. The Portage County Sheriff’s Office closed Shady Drive while crews worked.

Loud popping could be heard from the road. Deaver said the homeowner had ammunition stored in a protected room in the basement.

Firefighters and equipment responded from the Stevens Point, Plover, Hull, Dewey, Stockton, Amherst, Rosholt, Bancroft-Pine Grove, Almond, Rudolph, Grand Rapids, Biron, Scandinavia, Wild Rose, Plainfield and Vesper fire departments, along with additional Waushara County resources and Wisconsin DNR Fire.

The response stretched across Portage, Wood, Waupaca and Waushara counties. Deaver said he kept requesting mutual aid because crews needed more people to fight the fire and rotate firefighters working in the heat.

“I just kept calling because we needed people,” he said.

Crews remained at the scene for several hours. The cause of the fire was not immediately available.