Firefighters respond to two house fires in a week in Cedarburg

Multiple fire departments have responded to two unrelated structure fires on Covered Bridge Road in the town of Cedarburg in less than a week. 

"We typically have one large fire ... where there's extensive damage and we have one of those a year — that's a lot out here — and have to have two in a week was very unusual," said Fire Chief Jeff Vahsholtz.

At about 2 p.m. Sept. 26, firefighters responded to a fire at 2401 Covered Bridge Road.

Shortly after the fire started, the structure was engulfed in flames and there was no chance of saving anything, according to the department. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Joy Johnson Booth lived in the farmhouse, which she inherited from her grandfather, with her two dogs. One of the dogs, Roxy, went missing after the fire. On Friday afternoon, Booth learned that Roxy died in the fire.

Booth was at work at the time of the fire and is now staying with her mother. The home was insured, but Booth said she does not know the cost estimate of the property damage. The farmhouse has been in their family for about 70 years, she said.

"You're so upset because you lost everything you had. But then later, you're like, 'I just want my dog back,'" said Booth.

Seeking to help the family, a friend created a GoFundMe page to at bit.ly/cedarburgfire. 

Firefighters returned twice to the home to put additional more water on the structure, said Vahsholtz. No firefighters were injured during the incident.

That fire took place just days after a fire on Sept. 22. Firefighters responded to a chimney fire that had spread to the house at about 8:54 p.m., according to the fire department.

The homeowners had discovered the fire and attempted to extinguish the flames, but were unsuccessful. They were able to safely leave the home with their dog, said Vahsholtz. They were displaced by the fire and stayed with neighbors, he added.

The rear of the structure sustained serious damage along with a room on the second floor. 

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Contact Alex Groth at agroth@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @grothalexandria.