CRIVITZ, WI (WTAQ) – A piece of the Village of Crivitz history was lost in a fire this week, and residents are taking time to look back and are focused on moving forward.
A massive fire in frigid cold conditions destroyed Crivitz Lumber and Rental Tuesday night.
Village Trustee Jeff Dorschner says nearly 100 years of history was destroyed in a matter of hours.
“A multigenerational business that was lost in terms of the number of hardware supplies that they provided through the years. It was kind of a staple to our community.”
The building has been around since 1920.
“Any business that has been around that long is certentily of great value and this one was no exception,” Dorschner said.
Community members Nelson and Tony Phillip still have memories.
“The middle part was the store and I can remember going in there and they would have the wood floors that would creak”, Nelson said.
“Me, my dad and my ma used to go in there all the time”, Tony added.
Dorschner says as devastating as it was, seeing the community come together to help those in need was a breath of fresh air.
“With so many volunteers coming out of the woodwork to help with the warming shelter and those that provided food and help, it really was something.”
11 fire departments from all over the area were called in. About 50 firefighters battled the fire, along with wind chills about -30 degrees.
Crews were on scene for over 12 hours. The Fire Department suffered extensive and expensive hose damage from fire hoses freezing.
“It couldn’t come at a worse time as far as brutal conditions that firefighters had to deal with.”
No injuries were reported.
“It was definitely a loss and hopefully they will rally and consider rebuilding.”
