ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Escanaba Public Safety and other Delta County agencies responded to a fire at a historic Downtown Escanaba business on Friday.
At approximately 10:33 a.m., Escanaba Public Safety was dispatched to the House of Ludington for a report of a burning smell. Staff directed officers to the bar area, where they believed the smell was coming from.
Using a thermal imager, officers searched the main floor for the origin of the smell. After no signs of burning were found, they moved to the basement, where the boiler is located. They then proceeded to the second and third floors while two officeers conducted a walk around of the building.
Once outside, the two officers noticed a small amount of white smoke coming from a dormer on the roof, directly above the main entrance. Personnel on the third floor then discovered a storage room that was filling with smoke.
Residents and staff from the restaurant and hotel were quickly evacuated from the building. Officers attempted to locate the fire by removing material from the ceiling. The flames then became visible and flashed over, throwing two Public Safety officers down a flight of stairs. They were uninjured and able to exit the building.
The fire rapidly spread to the west side of the building. It took officers a few hours to contain the blaze. Public Safety remained on scene until approximately 4:30 p.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The 200 block of Ludington Street and the south alleyway behind the House of Ludington are closed to traffic until further notice.
