Endicott crew fights second fire

Endicott fire crews Thursday responded to another long fire battle with the report of a house fire on the Jordan-Knott Road west of Winona. The fire, which was at the Charmain Despain place, was reported at 2:43 p.m.

Endicott Chief Randall Schmick said the fire destroyed the house which was made of logs. They were extremely difficult to extinguish. He said at one point fire crews had to cut through the wall to get access to the burning logs.

Despain was not at home at the time the fire started. Cause of the fire was unknown, although it is believed to have started in the kitchen area.

A neighbor, Travis Lamb, reported the fire.

Firefighters were supplied with water via tanker trucks which made the haul from Endicott and also drew water out of Johnson Lake which is located at the home.

The tankers were able to keep the pumper crews supplied without any gaps in water flow during the long battle, Schmick said.

Three dogs and three cats were believed to have been in the house at the time the fire started, and firefighters found the remains of one dog and the cats.

Schmick estimated 25 to 30 volunteers were at the scene with crews also responding from Colfax, Diamond, St. John, LaCrosse and Rosalia.

Endicott crews were on the scene until after midnight. The Endicott crew returned to the scene Friday morning when the fire re-ignited.

The nine-plus hours in the Winona area fire followed a long battle Dec. 7 when Endicott volunteers responded to a fire at the Larry Persons house on D Street in Endicott in sub-zero weather.