September 10, 2025 – Hartford, WI – At approximately 5:50 a.m. on September 9, 2025, Hartford Fire & Rescue responded to Broan Manufacturing on W. State Street for the report of a washer on fire and flames coming from a chimney on the roof. Hartford police officers arrived, finding flames still coming from the chimney.
Employees were evacuating the building due to the fire alarm system activating. The first arriving fire command vehicle found smoke and hot embers still coming from the chimney, and employees standing outside of the building in the parking lot.
The first arriving engine crew secured water via a fire hydrant and prepared a hose line for entry. The first arriving ladder truck set up in the parking lot and extended to the roof. The chimney was located, and the surrounding area was checked to ensure that the fire had not spread inside the building or roof.
The equipment attached to the vent was a large parts washer with its own water heating system, which had created soot due to operational deficiencies. The flammable soot then ignited in the vent piping, causing flames to come from the vent on the roof.
EMS crews provided rehabilitation efforts to the firefighters. No fire or EMS personnel were injured during this incident. It was determined that employees quickly responded with fire extinguishers when noticing the fire and extinguished the burning debris in the vent pipe.
Maintenance staff were advised to have the equipment serviced and the associated vent piping thoroughly cleaned before putting the equipment back in service.