Sunday morning blaze in downtown Lansing forces neighboring occupants to evacuate...

At approximately 1:09 a.m. Sunday, September 11, the Lansing Fire Department was paged out for a structure fire at 221 Main Street, the former Smerud Construction building still owned by Roxanne Smerud of Lansing. According to a report released by Lansing Fire Department Chief Tony Becker, the fire was contained to the lower level and basement of the Smerud building, but the upstairs apartment and neighboring buildings did sustain heavy smoke and water damage from the incident. Local officials credit the quick and skilled work of the firefighters from the local and area volunteer departments for preventing the blaze from being much worse considering the close proximity of Lansing's Main Street buildings.

The report indicates that nobody was home in the building's upstairs apartment at the time of the blaze, but those living or staying in neighboring buildings were evacuated and housed at other locations, among them Lansing native Robin (Steiber) Hyde of Plymouth, MN, who was staying at the adjacent McGarrity Inn for a family event this weekend and shared the photos above and in the front page masthead taken after being evacuated. One fireman was also reportedly treated at the scene of the incident for exhaustion by the Lansing Ambulance Service.

The State Fire Marshal has been called in to determine the cause of the fire, which remains under investigation. The Lansing Fire Department was at the scene of the fire for approximately five hours and was assisted by the New Albin, Waukon and Harpers Ferry Fire Departments, Lansing Ambulance Service, Lansing Police Department and the Allamakee County Sheriff's Department. Photo below by Susan Cantine-Maxson shows the Smerud building boarded up and barricaded following the Sunday morning blaze.