7/28/2025

WOODRUFF - A large storage unit facility on State Highway 47 in Woodruff was destroyed by a massive fire on Saturday. More than 30 agencies from five counties responded to the blaze, which was reported at 1:41 p.m.  Minocqua and Woodruff firefighters arrived to find a 60-by-200-foot storage building engulfed in flames. A Mutual Aid Box Alarm System call was immediately requested and eventually upgraded to a five alarm due to the fire’s size, high temperatures, and the number of crews required. Resources were called in from Marathon, Lincoln, and Price counties. Two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion, with one transported to Howard Young Medical Center. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources firefighters were also called in after flames spread to a nearby grassy area. Schrom’s Excavating assisted by opening the building to allow firefighters to reach hot spots inside. Minocqua Fire & Rescue described the fire as “about as extreme as it gets fighting a fire in high temperatures” and thanked the 30-plus assisting agencies. Officials reported the storage unit facility was a total loss, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.