By Jeff Rumage
MEQUON - A fire ravaged the Charter Manufacturing building on Glen Oak Lane, leaving the building with "very extensive damage," according to Mequon Fire Chief David Bialk.
“Early indications are that it is a total loss and that repair is not an option” said Charter Manufacturing spokesman Evan Zeppos.
The building houses administrative offices for nine employees, who have been relocated to neighboring Charter Manufacturing facilities within the business park.
The Mequon Fire Department received a fire alarm alert from the building at 9:12 p.m. Oct. 30, and the first truck was on the scene in 10 minutes. Firefighters attempted to enter the building, but due to the intensity of the fire, they switched to a defensive firefighting strategy on the outside of the building, Bialk said.
About 40 people responded to the scene from the Mequon, Thiensville, Grafton, Cedarburg and North Shore fire departments.
High winds fanned the flames, hampering firefighting efforts, Bialk said. Crews didn't leave the scene until 12:30 a.m., more than three hours after receiving the fire alarm call.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire, and no firefighters were injured. Bialk said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but nothing suspicious was found at the scene. Based on the fire damage to the roof, Bialk thinks the fire started above the first floor.