SPARTA, Wis. – A father and son escaped exploding gasoline at a fire that spread quickly and destroyed a Milwaukee Street building that housed eight businesses. Ten vehicles in the building were destroyed. Two other vehicles were damaged, as were tools and equipment. Fire Chief Mike Arnold said the building was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. The 911 call came about 6:45 p.m. Arnold said the fire apparently started when two employees ere siphoning fuel out of a vehicle. A spark from the battery powering the pump ignited the fuel, he said. One business was destroyed, two others had fire and smoke damage, and two others had smoke damage. Firefighters were on the scene six hours. The fire was at 112 Milwaukee Street in southeast Sparta.
Collapsing wall. It crumbled an hour after firefighters arrived. Image: Sparta Fire Department