By Kim McDarison

A rooftop HVAC unit was determined to be the origin of a fire which broke out Thursday night at a building in Whitewater’s Business and Technology Park.

The industrial park is on the city’s east side.

According to information released Thursday by Whitewater Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Dion, the incident occurred at 7:44 p.m.

Whitewater Fire and EMS responded to a “possible structure fire,” at 840 Executive Dr., with the department’s Battalion 12 arriving on the scene approximately five minutes after it was dispatched, the release noted.

When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and fire issuing from the roof, the release stated, adding that a MABAS alarm 12-2 to the box alarm level was requested due to the size of the structure and the potential for the incident to grow.

A description of the building found online calculated its size at 76,485 square feet.

FabPro LLC, a company that specializes in precision sheet metal fabrication, operates from the location according to information found online.

The department’s news release identifies HyPro Inc., as the owner/occupant of the facility. 

According to a story published in SWNews4u.com, found here: https://www.swnews4u.com/local/business/hypro-closes-whitewater-plant/, the company closed its Whitewater plant in 2015. 

Dion noted in an email that it was possible the building was no longer operating as HyPro Inc. He said information available to the department identified HyPro, adding: “Now that we (the fire department) took fire inspections back over from the third-party vendor, issues like that will start to rectify themselves as we will have a yearly presence inside these buildings, ensuring accurate and up-to-date info.”  

According to information released by the Whitewater Fire Department, damage from the fire was isolated to the loss of the rooftop HVAC unit. A cause of the fire was identified as “equipment malfunction.” 

The release noted that no injuries were sustained in association with the fire.

According to the release, Whitewater Fire Department Engine 121 arrived at the scene and “initiated a fire attack from the ground using a pre-connected hose line. Tower Ladder 121 was used for roof access.”

The fire was brought under control by 8:25 p.m., the release continued, noting that the building was ventilated and “turned back over to the property representative.” 

As stated in the release, other agencies responding to the fire included the Jefferson Fire Department, the LaGrange Fire Department, Lakeside Fire and Rescue, and the Whitewater Police Department.

An earlier story about the fire is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/breaking-jefferson-walworth-county-scanners-report-whitewater-industrial-park-fire/.