October 11, 2026 – West Bend, Wi – Four departments on scene at a fire call Sunday, October 11, 2026 at the old Praefke Brake & Supply Corp. building, 133 Oak Street, in West Bend, Wi. The fire call came in around 11:15 a.m. Departments from West Bend, Kewaskum, Allenton and Jackson were on scene.
Firefighters raised two aerial ladders at the scene including one on 2nd Avenue and the other closer to the Eisenbahn State Trail at the end of Oak Street. Neither aerial ladder was used.
Initial sounds of chainsaws were heard as a haze of smoke in the area blurred the sun. Firefighters, armed with pike poles or ceiling hooks, dragged box fans into the building. Yellow fire hoses crisscrossed Oak Street.
The mood on scene was pretty relaxed by noon. Firefighters were seen leaving the west side of the building, shedding their coats as bottles of water were distributed. An ambulance was on scene with a empty wheeled stretcher sitting curbside.
Neighbors said there was initially a lot of white smoke coming out the roof but no flames could be seen. One neighbor said witnesses saw two young men leaving the building. They reportedly took off north on 2nd Avenue on their bicycles. A West Bend police squad was visible on scene parked on S. 2nd Avenue.
The building itself has been empty for years. According to archives at Washingtoncountyinsider.com the structure dates to the 1920s. Years ago it was home to the Pick Manufacturing Plant. The building is just nearly 105,400 square feet. Heartland Woodcraft Inc. moved out of the space in April 2006. At the end of 2014 a recycler out of Ladysmith, WI set up shop but that was short lived too.
Neighbors said police were called rather frequently to the empty building because kids may have been getting inside. While cyclone fencing with barbed wire circles the building, it has been tagged with graffiti on all sides.
As of 1:15 p.m. there has been no official statement on the cause of the fire.
This is a working story and more information will be posted when details are available.
