Home Destroyed in Sunday Fire in the Town of Merrill
A home in the Town of Merrill was destroyed by fire Sunday afternoon, prompting a large response from fire departments and emergency crews across the area.
The Merrill Fire Department was called to a home on Ackerman Road just before 3:45 Sunday afternoon after reports that the flames had spread beyond the structure and into nearby woods.
When firefighters arrived, they found the house heavily engulfed in flames, with thick smoke pouring from the building and a brush fire burning alongside the roadway. Crews quickly worked to stop the vegetation fire before concentrating on the burning home.
The combination of extreme heat, high humidity, and the home’s construction made firefighting efforts especially difficult. Mutual aid was requested from several neighboring fire departments, along with the Wisconsin DNR and other emergency agencies. An excavator was also brought in to help crews reach remaining hot spots during the final stages of extinguishing the fire.
No one was inside the home when the fire started, and no injuries were reported. Investigators with the Wisconsin DNR and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office say the fire appears to have been accidental. The home was declared a total loss.
