1999 Father's Day Fire

1999 Father's Day Fire (HMTRT)

Location: Iola, WI 54945 Waupaca County
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Country: United States of America
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N 44° 30.454', W 89° 7.868'

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Inscription
(side 1)
June 20, 1999 - Father's Day - was disrupted by a blaze that destroyed seven buildings on the west side of Main Street in downtown Iola under a gorgeous blue-sky and calm weather. More than 200 firefighters from Iola, Scandinavia, and eight other Central Wisconsin fire departments, along with volunteers from the large group of bystanders, battled the blaze that destroyed historic century-old buildings, some dating to pre-1890. Eleven businesses and eleven apartments were engulfed by the flames. Shared basements and attics meant the fire easily sped from one building to the next in a short period of time. A towering plume of black smoke stuck out like a sore thumb in the blue sky.

By knocking down two buildings in the middle of the block, firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading north to the rest of the block. Fortunately, no one was injured, although
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(side 2)
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two cats, one kitten and a dog perished in the blaze. Residents and business owners sifted through the rubble the days after but found little, although a wedding ring thought lost in the blaze was one of the treasured finds. Fire inspectors could pinpoint where the fire started among the burnt rubble, but not the reason for the tragic blaze.

Businesses destroyed include Bestul Realty, Iola Vision Center, Grandpa's Still, Physical Therapy Associates, Iola Veterinary Clnic, State Farm Insurance, Sweet Medicines Pharmacy, Kranski Krafts, X-L Communications, Associated Claims Service, Coatco, and Yonash Construction.

The determined village quickly rebuilt buildings so businesses could get back on their feet, but there is still a historical hole in the heart of Iola.
Details
HM NumberHMTRT
Tags
Marker Number2
Year Placed2010
Placed ByIola Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, October 21st, 2014 at 11:27am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 330600 N 4930458
Decimal Degrees44.50756667, -89.13113333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 30.454', W 89° 7.868'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 30' 27.24" N, 89° 7' 52.08" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)715
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 115 N Main St, Iola WI 54945, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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