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The fire was noticed at 12:45 a.m. by police officers Jim Kelter and Robert Javorek who then summoned help and evacuated next door bars and apartments on the north side in the buildings on the square, according to the Assistant Police Chief Dave Fox.
Assistance for additional firemen from Mukwonago, LaGrange, Lake Geneva, and Elkhorn. Aerial ladders from those departments summoned enrout to the fire by East Troy fireman Wayne Klett. Fire chief don Pluess said, "He was using his head. Getting the aerials in may have saved the buildings on the north side of the square. As the early morning wore on, more help was called from Lyons, Williams Bay, Delavan, Rochester, the town of Bloomfield, the town of Linn, Genoa City, Eagle, Tichigan, Wind Lake, and North Prairie. There were also other fire departments standing by, said ETFD secretary Robert Barutha. Fire to the structure was contained by three or four a.m. according to members of the E.T.F.D., but it was far from out. A persistent fierce fire was still raging above Mitch's Barber Shop. Fire officials cautiously assumed it was a leaking gas line, until a few hours later when the gas company showed up to turn off the gas. It was decided to keep the fire going instead of putting it out which could put raw gas in the building , creating an explosive condition. The firemen also decided not to turn off the gas at a main line so as not to turn off furnaces in the area. As it was, power was cut for some areas for nearly an hour.
Firemen later found that roofing tar and asphalt melted and formed a pool which burned like natural gas. "It was a lot to worry about," O'Leary said. The wind, although cold and fierce, may have helped save other buildings on the square coming from northwest, the smoke was blown to ground level across the square. According to Doris Jensen and Carole Worrall, store owners on the north side, the snow cover on top put out the embers that blew that way. At the beginning of the fire, the smoke from the fire was so thick, that a reporter who started to walk across the square lost sight of is feet in five paces. It was the dense smoke and cold winds that created the most problems for the firemen and set up the remarkable first aid stations at the Village Hall, Masonic Lodge, and OK Hardware. Fifteen firemen were taken to the Lakeland Hospital and Burlington Hospital for treatment of frostbite and smoke inhalation.
By Two o'clock, the village hall was opened by wives of the firemen and other concerned citizens who served food and carved firemen out of the hats, gloves and jackets that were covered with half an inch of ice. Soon after, the Masonic Temple and the OK Hardware opened their doors to provide shelter.
Other businesses also opened their doors and hearts to help out with the fire, according to Barutha. East Troy OK Hardware, Western Auto donated gloves, Ben Franklin and Rademacher's donated clothing, hats, scarves, and other wearing apparel. Ray's Shop Rite opened his doors during the blackout so that the ladies could get as much food as possible. If it went through the check out counter it would have come to $200. It didn't go through.
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