Campus Connection

The weekend fire in UW-La Crosse’s Wittich Hall has been ruled an accidental electrical fire. Firefighters were called to the second oldest academic building on campus around 10:45 p.m. Saturday, June 16. The fire started in and was contained to a basement storage area, but there is extensive smoke damage throughout the building. The fire started near a power strip on the wall, according to La Crosse Fire Department investigators. State Department of Administration adjusters and state fire investigators are expected to tour the building Tuesday. Once state officials have reviewed the site, service companies will begin the fire recovery and cleaning process. “At this point in time we don’t know how long it will take to make any necessary repairs and thoroughly clean the building,” says Bob Hetzel, UW-L Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance. “Until state officials get here tomorrow and we can determine the scope of work for the building repairs and cleanup process, we won’t have a timetable for getting back into the building.” Wittich Hall has a limited number of departmental offices and serves as the home to the Center for Disability Health and Adaptive Physical Activity and the women’s gymnastics program. Hetzel says the center will temporarily run from Mitchell Hall. The Student Affairs Administration Department was scheduled to move from Wittich to Morris Hall at the end of June. In the meantime, that department and other offices will temporarily be housed in nearby Graff Main Hall. Wittich Hall was built in 1916 and is the original physical education building on campus. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1985.