Fire destroys shed, but house and shop saved

By Julia Wolf

A fire Dec. 4, destroyed a shed north of Cadott and its contents, but no one was injured.

Joe and Jewell LaNou were home, west of State Hwy. 27 on County Hwy. S, when they noticed something off, about 3 or 3:30 p.m.

“We thought it was getting foggy out or it was starting to snow,” said Joe. “All of a sudden, it was all white.”

When they opened the patio door and stepped out on the deck to investigate, they quickly realized there was a fire.

A family member was able to call for help and fire crews saved the other buildings on the property.

“If we wouldn’t have been home, we wouldn’t have a house, shop or shed right now,” said Joe.

Joe says the shop also caught on fire and burnt out one corner, melting the styrofoam insulation in the building.

“And it got so hot, it wrinkled the siding on the house and turned the roof black,” said Joe. “Thank God, if the fire department wouldn’t have been here, we’d have lost it all.”

The shop and house suffered repairable damage. Joe says people told him they could see the black smoke all the way from surrounding towns, including Chippewa Falls and Stanley. He says the smoke was so thick, it completely covered the house.

“I didn’t know if my house was on fire or not,” said Joe. He says the shed was all wood and had a couple of layers of shingles, which likely contributed to the heavy black smoke.

There were three Farmall tractors, a semi tractor, a haybine, as well as a lot of smaller items in the shed. The shed was also in good condition, as it had been updated.

Joe says they don’t know the cause of the fire, but suspect it was electrical.

“Nothing was turned on in there,” said Joe. “Nothing plugged in.”

Jewell says it was a big loss, but both are thankful that everyone is OK. Joe says they will turn their attention to clean-up once warmer weather hits, since everything is frozen down right now.

The Cadott, Cornell, Anson and Eagle Point fire departments responded to the call. There were also area paramedics on scene.

“Everybody was so good to us,” said Joe, adding it wasn’t just first responders, but community members who stepped up to offer their support.