Gillett man hurt escaping fire that destroyed home he just finished paying off
GILLETT – A Gillett man suffered a minor injury while escaping a fire that destroyed his home on Dec. 29.
The man jumped out of an upstairs window, hurting his hand or wrist, said Town of Gillett Fire Chief Dale Reichwald. Three other residents were able to safely evacuate.
Reichwald said the man who jumped told him that he’d just made the final payment on the mortgage.
“It was probably just days since he’d paid it off,” the fire chief said. “That makes it pretty tough during the holidays.”
The fire department was called to the home in the 6000 block of Wisconsin 32 just after 9:45 a.m. Reichwald said he believed a neighbor noticed the fire and called it in.
The fire started in an attached garage and spread to the home, the chief said. The cause is undetermined because the damage was so complete.
The entire house and all contents were lost.
The injured man sought treatment on his own.
The 14 Town of Gillett firefighters were on the scene until about 2:30 p.m.
FOR MORE OCONTO COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website!
Contact Kent Tempus at (920) 354-6075 or ktempus@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Gillett man hurt escaping fire from home he'd just finished paying off
