A large barn fire broke out on the evening of Oct. 5 in the Town of Scandinavia, prompting a multi-alarm response from numerous regional fire departments. The fire was reported at about 7:30 p.m., with the barn fully engulfed in flames. Officials withheld the exact address but confirmed that the structure was filled with hay, which fueled the blaze.

Scandinavia Fire Department, upon arriving at the scene, immediately called for mutual aid. Initial responding units included departments from Iola, Ogdensburg, Manawa, Waupaca, and Amherst. Tenders were dispatched as part of the first alarm, as firefighters began working to contain the flames.

As the fire intensified, a second alarm was called, bringing additional units from Marion and Rosholt to the scene. The fire’s spread raised concerns as embers were seen drifting into nearby woods, prompting a request for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to respond. Fortunately, no active fires had started in the woods at that time.

A third alarm soon followed, further escalating the response. Fire crews from Clintonville, Stockton, and Fremont were dispatched, while a Waupaca engine was sent to Scandinavia’s fire station to cover other potential emergencies.

Scandinavia’s incident commander eventually requested a strike team of tenders from Portage County, which was initially approved but later canceled in favor of mutual aid from Hull Fire Department. When a fourth alarm was issued, additional units from Weyauwega and a strike team from Winnebago County, including Neenah, Clayton, Utica, Winneconne, Poygan, and Vinland fire departments, were called in. These units mustered at Clayton before heading to Scandinavia to assist.

To help fully extinguish the blaze, a diesel tanker and a backhoe from Faulks were requested to remove hay from the barn’s concrete structure. After hours of battling the fire, units began clearing the scene late at night.

Despite the scale of the response, no injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Firefighters’ swift actions prevented the fire from spreading to nearby woods and structures.