Ellison Bay investigators sift rubble for answers
Wisconsin 42 to remain closed until buildings are razed
By Paul Srubas, Green Bay Press Gazette (Click for Full Story)
ELLISON BAY — A quarter-mile stretch of Ellison Bay remains barricaded this morning as investigators probe the rubble of three buildings brought down by explosions or fire early Monday…..
Passage on Wisconsin 42 through Ellison Bay and access to several businesses and residences will remain closed at least until construction crews can tear down the landmark Pioneer Store, a 136-year-old building on Wisconsin 42 that collapsed, leaving its second story and roof teetering on the remains of the rest of the structure.
The owner, Carol Newman, 68, was sleeping in the second story when the building collapsed but managed to escape with minor injuries with the help of emergency service workers shortly after the blast.
A hastily called meeting of the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Commission — held Tuesday evening in the dead center of Wisconsin 42 — granted Fire Chief Chris Hecht authority to order the razing of two structures still barely standing after Monday morning’s blast. The other building is a combination workshop and rental apartments that is part of the Cedar Grove Resort complex.
Razing the remaining structures means more than just the re-opening of Ellison Bay commerce; it also will provide investigators with their first chance to examine the insides of the buildings, the remains of which are too rickety to allow entrance, Door County Sheriff Terry Vogel said Tuesday.
“We can’t get close for fear of the building collapsing,” he said. “It’s continuing to creak and crack — there’s a lot of movement.”