Oscar Balderas had recently moved from one unit into another in his Monona Hills apartment building when he woke up to the smell of smoke early Saturday.
With his jacket in his previous apartment, unit 129, Balderas walked down the hall, prepared to go through the motions of a minor accident, as if it were a drill — not the deadly blaze it proved to be.
That’s when he saw the fire through a window, right above unit 112 — the one he had just moved into.
“I saw that fire, just all over. Oh my God,” said Balderas, 68.
According to the American Red Cross, house fires are more likely to happen during the winter, and especially the holidays.
One person is dead and at least 70 people were evacuated in the fire that broke out in the apartment building at 353 Owen Road in Monona.
Authorities had not released the name of the person found dead.
Damage to the building, which is not habitable, is expected to exceed $2 million, authorities said. A precise cause was not determined.
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Firefighters were already on their way for a fire alarm at about 3:45 a.m. when dispatchers received additional calls from residents reporting smoke and flames, Monona Fire Chief Jeremy McMullen said. Initial calls had come in about 3:30 a.m.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire and smoke, with debris falling from the building at times, McMullen said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.
The fire was brought under control by 9 a.m., and one person was found dead, McMullen said.
The fire appears to have started in the vicinity of apartment 204 and appears to have been unintentional, he said. Firefighters also rescued six cats, most of which are in the care of Dane County Animal Services.
Monona Fire Department members remain at the scene of a fire at the Monona Hills apartment building, where freezing temperatures created icicles on nearby cars and trees as firefighters hosed down the building early Saturday.
Kisiah Johnson, 52, was also asleep in her apartment when she awoke to the smell of smoke.
Once she realized the severity of what was happening, she jumped into action and left as quickly as possible.
“I was like, ‘Where are my joggers?’” Johnson said. “I grabbed my coat, unplugged my cell phone, grabbed (my bag) and got out the door.”
“I started banging on people’s doors, saying it was a real fire,” Balderas said.
While Balderas helped a neighbor evacuate through the stairs, Johnson was in the parking lot waiting with others.
Bikes left by residents of the Monona Hills apartment building are coated in ice after firefighters extinguished Saturday's fire.
“I had a lady in my car. She just had on a T-shirt and a shawl,” Johnson said, remembering how hectic the aftermath was. “Once I got her in the car ... I needed to use the bathroom, so I went to the Kwik Trip’s and then came back and was just driving around to see how it was.”
All Johnson could say as she saw the burning building was, “This is crazy. Crazy.”
Freezing temperatures and the large amounts of water to battle an early morning fire at the Monona Hills apartment building created icicles around the building, nearby trees and grass as Monona Fire Department crews continued to work at the scene Saturday afternoon.
“The fire was upstairs, but it spread all the way down through the elevator. So I know my apartment, it ... it burned all the way down,” said Balderas.
“I don’t want to go through that ever again,” he said. “Ever again.”
The American Red Cross opened a shelter for those displaced by the fire at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, 5700 Pheasant Hill Road, Monona. Food and essentials were being provided in addition to any shelter needs.
“Many agencies in Dane County and beyond responded and assisted in the evacuation,” McMullen said.
Parts of the Monona Hills apartment building will be uninhabitable for the foreseeable future, displacing dozens of residents, after Saturday's early morning fire.
Even the Red Cross was unaware of how severe the damage would be.
“We had our disaster action team respond right away to help with immediate needs on the ground, and then as time went on we realized, ‘Oh boy,’ this is going to be much larger,” said Kyle Kriegl, executive director of the Southwest Wisconsin Chapter of the American Red Cross.
There were between 30 and 35 residents at the Red Cross shelter Saturday. It was not known how long a shelter would be needed.
“We’ll be working with them and kind of determining that for each on a case by case basis, but that could all depend on what their needs are,” Kriegl said.
Donations or help can be arranged through the Red Cross at 1-800-236-8680.
Remembering the 1996 fire that destroyed Madison's Hotel Washington
Hotel Washington before the fire
The front of the Hotel Washington on West Washington Avenue in Madison before the fire.
Club de Wash before the fire
Club de Wash was the concert venue inside Hotel Washington. Hotel Washington was destroyed by a fire in 1996. This photo, published that year, is of alt-rock trio Ben Folds Five performing a sold out show at the venue.
Hotel Washington fire
Fire trucks set up on West Washington Avenue on Feb. 18, 1996, to battle the Hotel Washington fire.
Hotel Washington fire
A crowd gathers on West Washington Avenue about 8 a.m. Feb. 18, 1996, to watch as a violent, fast-moving fire engulfs the Hotel Washington. The fire department was called at about 6:15 a.m., and additional firefighters arrived at 6:28.
Hotel Washington fire
The Hotel Washington was destroyed by fire Feb. 18, 1996.
Hotel Washington fire
Smoke from the burning Hotel Washington marked the Madison skyline the morning on Feb. 18, 1996. The old Madison depot is at lower left. The Dane County Mental Health Center is at lower right.
Hotel Washington in ruins
Firefighters attempt to extinguish the blaze at the Hotel Washington after most of the building has collapsed on Feb. 18, 1996.
People watch Hotel Washington blaze
A small group of people watches as fire destroys the Hotel Washington on Feb. 18, 1996.
Hotel Washington fire
Firefighters at the scene of the Hotel Washington blaze Feb. 18, 1996.
Hotel Washington fire
Firefighters fight the Hotel Washington fire.
Fighting the fire
The Hotel Washington burned down Feb. 18, 1996.
Extinguishing hot spot
Amid the charred rubble and ice-glazed trees and fences, a Madison firefighter douses a hot spot at the remains of the Hotel Washington on FEb. 19, 1996.
Friends embrace
Friends embrace as they view the remains of the Hotel Washington on Feb. 18, 1996.
Freezing water
The Citgo gas station next door to the Hotel Washington becomes an icicle palace.
Hotel Washington fire
Fire hoses play on the rubble of the historic Hotel Washington on Feb. 18, 1996.
Barber's Closet fire damage
A fire Feb. 18, 1996, destroyed the Hotel Washington, including the Barber's Closet.
Hotel Washington flowers
Among those mourning the loss of the Hotel Washington on Feb. 19, 1996, were two people who left flowers on a fence surrounding its remains. The card reads: "Dear Hotel, Dear Rod's & Barber's Closet & New Bar. We love and miss you. Kay & Shelley."
Gutted hotel with flag
A rainbow flag, the symbol of gay and lesbian identity, flies Feb. 20, 1996, over the charred remains of the Hotel Washington.
Hotel Washington vigil
Sue Filo, Amy Udelhofen and Mandy Woods, left to right, joined more than 500 people outside the Capitol in a vigil Feb. 19, 1996, for the Hotel Washington.
Hotel Washington service
The Rev. Diane Reistroffer of University United Methodist Church leads friends of the Hotel Washington in a service of song and remembrance Feb. 18, 1996.
Fire investigators
Fire inspectors examine the ruins of the Hotel Washington.
Salvaging what they can
Employees of businesses located in the Hotel Washington load whatever they could salvage into a U-Haul truck Feb. 19, 1996.
Washington Hotel steps
A set of steps is the only thing that remains March 6, 1996, at the burned and demolished Hotel Washington, where an emptied ashtray caused the $2 million blaze Feb. 18, 1996.
State Journal front page Feb. 19, 1996
State Journal front page Feb. 19, 1996
State Journal coverage Feb. 19, 1996
State Journal coverage Feb. 19, 1996
State Journal coverage Feb. 19, 1996
State Journal coverage Feb. 19, 1996
Trumpf Hotel, 1906
A view across an unpaved street of the Hotel Trumpf, 636 W. Washington Ave. The entrance is on the corner of the building facing the intersection. Originally called the Madison House, the wooden hotel caught fire in 1906 and was rebuilt as a brick building by owner E.G. Trumpf, and renamed the Hotel Trumpf. In 1916, the hotel was sold to August Harbort and renamed Hotel Washington.
Hotel Washington in 1935
Exterior view from the street of the Hotel Washington, 636 W. Washington Ave., on April 21, 1935.
