• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Smoldering roof blower smokes up Edgerton Piggly Wiggly

EDGERTON — The Edgerton Piggly Wiggly supermarket was evacuated Thursday after a smoldering ventilation unit on the roof filled the store with smoke, the Edgerton Fire Department reported.

Edgerton firefighters went to the store at 1211 N. Main St. shortly before noon Thursday to respond to reports of smoke in the building, the fire department reported.

The smoke came from oil that came into contact with burners on a roof ventilation unit while crews were doing maintenance work on the roof, said a crewmember who declined to give his name.

The crewmember said the oil began to smolder, and smoke poured into the building through an air exchange. He said a true fire never broke out.

A store employee said he was at work in the meat department when he noticed a burnt rubber smell and saw smoke coming from the ceiling. He said the store began to fill with smoke fast, and people evacuated.

Storeowner Sandy Kotwitz said about 15 customers and 20 employees were in the building at the time, and everyone evacuated.

There were no injuries and no fire spread to the building, Edgerton Fire Chief Brian Demrow said Thursday.

The store was expected to be closed part of the afternoon Thursday as fire crews used fans to clear lingering smoke. The Rock County Health Department assisted in the incident.