Smoke detector saves Kiel family

Posted at high noon on January 4, 2021

The Brillion News

KIEL - A smoke detector woke the members of a Kiel family at 4:30 a.m. on Monday, January 4, and likely saved their lives.

The fire happened in a home on the 1100 block of Sixth Street. The residents were asleep on the second floor then a fire on the first floor and in the basement broke out, but all of the people and their dog were able to escape after the smoke alarm roused them from sleep.

The home was heavily damaged. Attending the call were the Kiel, Chilton, Elkhart Lake, New Holstein and St. Anna Fire Departments; Kiel and New Holstein Police, the Kiel Fire/Rescue Ambulance, and Kiel Electrical Department.

The Manitowoc County Fire Investigation Team is looking into the cause of the fire, which did about $75,000 in damage.

The fire was knocked down in about 10 minutes, but it took firefighters an hour to ventilate and mop up the scene.