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Firefighters injured in Delavan pub fire

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Fire destroys Delavan Inlet restaurant

Raw video of firefighters battling a blaze March 5, 2010 that destroyed the Mulligan's Sports Pub and Grill in Delavan Township. Click to play

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Fire destroys Delavan Inlet restaurant

Firefighters battled a blaze March 5, 2010 that destroyed the Mulligan's Sports Pub and Grill in Delavan Township.

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DELAVAN TOWNSHIP — Eight firefighters were injured Friday while fighting a fire at a Mulligan’s Sports Pub and Grill on Highway 50 in Delavan. The fire began just before 1 p.m.

Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV reported that firefighters from the Lake Geneva fire department were injured when a bucket truck they were on came in contact with power lines while visibility was obscured by the thick smoke.

While the firefighters’ injuries were described as non-life threatening, one firefighter suffered serious burns and was expected to get treatment at a burn unit.

The building was a total loss.

Michael York, who fled his apartment with nothing but the clothes on his back Friday after a blaze consumed his home atop the bar, is glad everybody got out safely—including his girlfriend and their two young daughters.

“The important thing was getting the kids and making sure everybody was out of the place,” he said Friday. “The rest of the stuff can be replaced.”

Joe Vitacca, who was bartending when the fire broke out, said the flames came from a grease fire in the kitchen fryer. Employees called 911, and the building was evacuated shortly after police arrived.

The restaurant had been open since 11 a.m., and a couple customers were in the dining room at the time, Vitacca said.

The bartender contacted York, who ran downstairs to see what was going on.

“When I came downstairs to open the door, I couldn’t see anything,” York said. “It was completely smoke.”

York said he noticed flames coming through an exhaust fan above the bar, so he ran to tell his girlfriend to get the kids out of the second-floor apartment.

“She collected the kids, I collected the dog and went downstairs,” he said. “It just started after that, non-stop. Flames.”

Despite being only a few yards from the Delavan Lake Inlet, water had to be trucked to battle the blaze because the lake remains frozen.

Flames shot through the roof and black smoke billowed into the air as firefighters attempted to open portions of the roof to extinguish the blaze. Two aerial ladder tracks sprayed water from above.

The structure collapsed mid-afternoon, and firefighters continued to work well into the afternoon. The fire was mostly contained by 5 p.m.

York and his family plan to stay with family and friends. Despite his losses Friday, he said community support has been pouring in, and he’s thankful for any help than can be offered.

Those interested in more information on how to help York and his family are asked to call (262) 903-4210.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.