SUNNY AND HIGH TODAY OF 47.

BIG FIRE IN MAQUOKETA AT JUST AFTER 4 THIS MORNING. IT DESTROYED A MORE THAN HUNDRED YEAR OLD BUILDING. THE CALL WAS TO THE DEPOT BAR AND GRILL ON EAST PLATT. IT GUTTED THE BUILDING FROM FRONT TO BACK. THE BAR IS OWNED BY ERIC MOORE AND HE HAD PURCHASED THE BUILDING THIS PAST DECEMBER, FROM WIHDEN AND CAROLYN AISE. THE OPENED THE BUILDING FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGES IN 1997 AFTER DOING EXTENSIVE REMODELING OF THE 3,600 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING AND RAN IT UNTIL THEY CLOSED IT IN 2002. THE BUILDING, BELIEVED BUILT IN 1872, WAS THE ORIGINAL DEPOT TRAIN STATION FOR THE MILWUKEE RAILROAD. THE DEPOT BAR AND GRILL HAD A NORMAL TUESDAY NIGHT OF BUSINESS AND A FEW PATRONS WERE STILL ON HAND AT CLOSING TIME. MOORE, A BARTENDER AND SOME OF THE PATRONS WERE INTERVIEWED TODAY. MAQUOKETA FIREMEN SPENT 4 HOURS AT THE SCENE AND EAST PLATT STREET WAS CLOSED TO TRAFFIC SO A FIRE HOSE COULD BE RUN ACROSS THE STREET. THE FIRE MARSHALL HAS BEEN CALLED TO INVESTIGATE. HOW THE FIRE STARTED HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. YOU CAN SEE SEVERAL OF THE PICTURES I TOOK THIS AFTERNOON BY GOING TO THE KMAQ WEB SITE AT WWW.KMAQ.COM AND CLICK ON THE CAMERA. THE PHOTOS WILL BE ULP SOON. WILL BE UP SOON.
AS YOU WILL SEE, THE OUTER SHELL STILL STANDS, BUT WHETER OR NOT THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING CAN BE SAVED AND THE INTERIOER REDONE, REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

AT 11:30, FIREMEN GOT A CALL TO GO TO BALDWIN TO THE QUARTER DECK BAR, BUT IT WAS JUST A MALFUNCTIONING ALARM. ON THE WAY, A FIRE TRUCK HIT A CAR THAT PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK. MINOR DAMAGE. MAQUOKETA FIREMEN ARE UNDER CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF BALDWIN TO ANSWER BALDWIN CITY FIRE CALLS.

AND..AS IS THE CASE SO MANY TIMES....AFTER A 2ND FIRE IN SAME DAY, THERE WILL OFTEN BE A 3RD CALL. IT CAME AT 3:05 THIS AFTERNOON TO A GRASS FIRE ON WEST SUMMIT STREET.

A BUSY DAY TODAY FOR MAQUOKETA FIREMEN.

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY.

GOOD WEDNESDAY NIGHT!

DENNIS VOY