October 22, 2024 – Fond du Lac Co., Wi – On Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at approximately 2:07 a.m. the Fond du Lac County Communications Center received a 911 call from a passerby that a house is on fire at W2171 Draeger Lane, located in the Township of Forest. The passerby advised the flames were 40 to 50-feet high and starting to spread to other buildings on the property. At the time of the call there were strong southerly winds pushing the flames.
A deputy with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene and observed the home fully engulfed and other nearby buildings north of the home starting on fire.
Due to the size and severity of the fire, several area Fire Departments responded including Mt Calvary Fire Department & Ambulance, Eden Fire & First Responders, St Cloud Fire, RIT2, RIT3, Campbellsport Fire, Oakfield Fire, Waupun Fire, Greenbush Fire, City of Fond du Lac Fire & Ambulance, Town of Calumet Fire, New Holstein Fire, Kewaskum Fire, Kiel Fire, Lamartine Fire, Plymouth Fire, Van Dyne Fire, Glenbeulah Fire and First Responders, Lomira Fire, St Anna Fire, Rosendale Fire, and Cascade Fire.
The property owner, Rick Kohlman, was not home at the time of the fire. The home was approximately 6,000 square feet and a total loss. Several other buildings, including a detached garage with a vehicle inside are a total loss. Several other structures sustained heat damage.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office. There were no reports of civilian or emergency personnel injured during the course of the fire.