La Crosse Fire Department Responds to Apartment Fire on Buchner Place
Published on August 27, 2026
LA CROSSE, Wis. — August 27, 2026 — At approximately 2:11 p.m. Thursday, La Crosse County 911 Dispatchers were alerted by a monitoring system of a possible fire at an apartment building in the 300 block of Buchner Place. Shortly afterward, a 911 caller confirmed smoke was coming from a third-floor apartment.
The apartment occupant was reached and confirmed they were not home at the time, but that four cats were inside the apartment.
La Crosse Fire Department crews arrived within three minutes of being dispatched, with a total of 20 firefighters responding to the incident. Upon arrival, crews found smoke in the third-floor hallway and immediately began assessing the building while preparing hose lines and working to locate and contain the fire.
The building houses both residential apartments and a Head Start facility. Fortunately, no children were present at the time of the fire. Head Start staff, along with other residents, were able to safely evacuate the building.
Crews quickly contained the fire and located all four cats.
The apartment where the fire originated sustained moderate damage; however, the remainder of the building sustained light smoke damage.
La Crosse Fire Department investigators were on scene and will continue working to determine the specific cause of the fire.
La Crosse Fire Department was assisted by Tri-State Ambulance, La Crosse Police Department, Xcel Energy, and La Crosse County 911 Dispatchers.