Six firefighters injured in a fire that has closed three popular downtown Waukesha businesses

A carelessly discarded, unextinguished cigarette is the likely culprit that ignited a fire and heavily damaged The Clarke Hotel and two adjacent eating and drinking establishments in downtown Waukesha, a fire official said Tuesday, Aug. 14.

Although damage to The Steaming Cup appear to be minimal, there were heavy losses at the neighboring Spring City Wine House.

The fire also sent two Waukesha firefighters to Waukesha Memorial Hospital to seek treatment for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Hoffman said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Four other firefighters were treated at the scene of the fire for similar injuries, he said.

Origin of fire

The fire started on the outside wall of the hotel, 314 W. Main St., during the early afternoon. The hotel was evacuated before firefighters arrived.

According to Hoffman, the first call came at 12:35 p.m. for smoke in the downtown area. While driving there, firefighters were directed to the area of the Spring City Wine House, 336 W. Main St.

It appeared the fire was initially confined to the wall on the structure that houses The Clarke Hotel and Spring City Wine House, but firefighters as a precaution later opened up walls above the exterior wall.

There they found flames along an interior wall that spanned to the hotel's third floor and above the wine bar, Hoffman said. In addition to damage at The Clarke Hotel and Spring City Wine House, smoke spread to The Steaming Cup, 340 W. Main St.

Hoffman said the structure that started on fire contains multiple occupancies that had numerous remodels over the years. The portion of the building had numerous voids, allowing the fire to spread, Hoffman said.

Hoffman said the incident was "extremely taxing" on fire department personnel due to the day's weather conditions.

Josh Grossmayer, general manager of The Clarke Hotel, said he hopes to have its restaurant, bar and most of its hotel rooms operational soon.

Firefighters had to punch a hole through a hotel room floor to extinguish smoldering flames below, he said.

Wine house heavily damaged

Spring City Wine House appeared to have suffered heavy damage. Both of its front windows were knocked out and its interior was wet and blackened.

In a Facebook post hours after the fire Aug. 14, Spring City Wine House owners Tom and Stacy Hockel said the fire damage will keep the wine bar closed for at least a few weeks for repair and remodel.

"What started as minimal, turned into a situation causing major damage to the winehouse," the post read. "We look forward to our re-grand opening and welcoming our wonderful friends back home. A huge thank you to all the support and love during this difficult time, we couldn't make it without you."

The Steaming Cup owners Jason and Cristina Tofte said their coffee shop/restaurant was able to escape fire damage. But they added The Steaming Cup will be closed for the next one to two weeks to repair smoke damage within the building.

"Words cannot express our gratitude for the first responders, our wonderful neighbors and the love we are receiving from our community," the Toftes said in a Facebook post.

Grossmayer said the cigarette was thrown into a crevice between the sidewalk and an exterior hotel wall.

Hoffman said it was too early to provide an estimated dollar amount for the damage.

The fire kept West Main Street from the Five Points intersection to Clinton Street in the heart of downtown Waukesha closed to traffic for the rest of the day Aug. 14. This road was expected to reopen by Wednesday morning.

Due to the severity of the fire, mutual aid was provided by the city of Pewaukee, town of Brookfield, city of New Berlin, Tess Corners, village of Big Bend, town of Waukesha, city of Brookfield, Wales-Genesee, Lake Country, town of Delafield, town of Vernon and village of Sussex.

The fire department also received assistance from the Salvation Army, Waukesha County Rehab and Waukesha Metro Transit.

The Clarke Hotel has operated a pub and restaurant called the Five Points Irish Pub for nearly four years. Spring City Wine House opened in 2015. The Steaming Cup has been a downtown establishment for nearly 15 years.