University of Wisconsin-La Crosse officials will begin assessing damages from a fire that broke out Saturday night in one of the university's oldest buildings in the second campus fire this year.
Firefighters were called at about 10:45 p.m. to Wittich Hall, where they found a fire in the basement. The blaze was contained to a storage room and extinguished in less than 30 minutes, said Capt. Todd Adams of the La Crosse Fire Dept.
There was smoke damage throughout the building, which will be vacated until university officials can learn the extent of the damage, said Bob Hetzel, vice chancellor for administration and finance. The fire department also reported moderate water damage.
The building was locked and apparently unoccupied at the time of the fire, university officials said.
One firefighter was injured; he was treated and released from a local hospital, Adams said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Smoke also triggered an alarm in Graff Main Hall, which is connected to Wittich by ventilation shafts. There was no damage to Main, but maintenance workers were airing out the smoky odor Sunday.
Wittich Hall houses departmental offices, the Center for Disability Health and Adaptive Physical Activity and the women's gymnastics program. It also hosts youth sport programs in gymnastics and swimming, leisure counseling, and special populations exercise and motor development programs.
Hetzel said no one is being allowed in the building until the damage is assessed and that the university doesn't yet know how long it will be closed.
Built in 1916, Wittich Hall is the original physical education building on campus. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1985.
Saturday's fire was the second to hit the campus this year.
In January, a fire in the basement of Drake Hall displaced 271 students and forced the closure of the residence hall for the remainder of the semester. The cause of that fire, which caused about
$2.8 million in damages and relocation costs, was never determined.
Copyright 2012 - La Crosse Tribune, Wis.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
