Firefighter dies battling Abbotsford theater blaze; four injured

One fireighter was killed and four others were injured while battling a blaze that heavily damaged a 63-year-old movie theater in central Wisconsin.

The fire was reported around noon Sunday at the Abby Theatre in downtown Abbotsford, about 20 miles north of Marshfield.

Fire Chief Jody Apfelbeck said three firefighters were trapped after a ceiling collapsed, and two others were hurt by falling bricks.

Three people were treated at a Marshfield hospital and released by early Sunday evening. The other injured firefighter also was expected to go home Sunday night.

There was no immediate word on where or how the fire started. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the state Fire Marshal are helping local officers investigate.

The fire chief said the theater’s owner checked the furnaces about an hour and a half before the blaze broke out. He said there were no problems then.

The four outside walls remained standing after the blaze, but the roof is caved in, Apfelbeck said.

The rising smoke could be seen as far away as Colby, three miles to the south of Abbotsford. The blaze was well under control within three hours, but firefighters worked into Sunday evening to handle small flare-ups.

Almost three dozen personnel responded from four area fire departments.

Tags: news, fires, wisconsin