STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Sturgeon Bay police are asking the public to stay away from the scene of a downtown bar fire.
Crews spent hours Tuesday morning putting the fire out at Butch’s Bar on S. 3rd Avenue.
The second floor of the building contained 20 rooms; nine of them were occupied at the time of the fire.
Police confirmed one person was found deceased in the rubble Tuesday afternoon.
Another person is still unaccounted for and a third person was taken to the hospital. Their condition is unknown.
The state fire marshal and medical examiners will be on scene Wednesday as crews investigate the cause of the fire and work to remove the body of the deceased victim from the rubble.
In a statement released by police, it read in part:
It is our hope the deceased victim can be removed without compromising the safety of the investigative team. If it becomes necessary, heavy equipment has been called to the scene to collapse the walls to make it safe for the investigators to enter and remove the deceased victim from the rubble.
Officials are asking the public to stay away from the scene and behind the tape and barriers while crews work. They say some members of the public and media were inside the protected area and advised to leave. Police say anyone who is inside the protected scene will be asked to leave and may receive a citation.
Meanwhile, the United Way of Door County says a relief fund for the victims of the fire has been established at Nicolet Bank.
Police say nine people are displaced by the fire.
The Red Cross and United Way of Door County are also assisting those displaced.
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