Firefighter Dies in Abbotsford Theatre Fire

By The Associated Press

Abbotsford - A firefighter was killed Sunday while battling a fire in a historic theater in this central Wisconsin community.

Four firefighters fell through the roof of the Abby Theatre in Abbotsford and were taken to a Marshfield hospital where one of the firefighters succumbed to injuries Sunday evening, according to the Colby Fire Department.

The victim was a firefighter with nearby Colby, a community about two miles south of Abbotsford. The firefighter's identity was not released.

The conditions of the other three firefighters injured in the roof collapse were not known late Sunday.

Abbotsford Fire Chief Jody Apfelbeck said the building's owner checked its furnaces at 10:30 a.m. Sunday and found no problems. The fire was reported around noon, and firefighters continued late into the afternoon to put out small pockets of flames inside the building.

Apfelbeck said the building sustained "substantial damage" including the collapse of its roof.

About 35 firefighters from four departments responded.

According to Marshfield News Herald archives, the theater opened in 1949.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wiscon...rt-in-abbotsford-blaze-qm4eeri-141381163.html

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Firefighter killed at theatre fire
Three others injured while battling blaze in Abby

A Colby firefighter died Sunday while battling a blaze at the Abby Theatre in downtown Abbotsford. Three other firefighters were injured and transported to the emergency room in Marshfield.

None of their names have been released.

The fire started around noon on Sunday and quickly enveloped the theater, gutting the building and sending big plumes of smoke into the air. Four firefighters battling the blaze were transported to the emergency room in Marshfield, including one who was airlifted by the Spirit helicopter, according to Abbotsford fire chief Jody Apfelbeck.

The medical conditions and identities of the three firefighters have not yet been released.

The ceiling caved in while firefighters were inside the theatre and an unspecified number of them were trapped, he said.

Along with Abbotsford, firefighters from Colby, Dorchester and Owen-Withee/Curtiss responded to the scene.

Apfelbeck said the cause of the fire was not known at this point, but he confirmed that the state fire marshal will be investigating.

"The owner said he came in at 10:30 to check the furnaces. At that point he went home and was later notified that his theatre was on fire," Apfelbeck said.

A crowd of onlookers was cleared from downtown as service trucks from WE Energies arrived around 1:30 p.m.

Apfelbeck said his crew was still pushing forward, despite four of their colleagues being taken to the hospital.

"They're staying strong. They're giving each other support right now, hoping everyone's going to be OK."
More information will be provided as it becomes available.

http://www.centralwinews.com/tribune/

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