A beloved Hales Corners restaurant is temporarily closed after an early morning fire damaged the building, but the Hale House is receiving an outpouring of community support as it works toward rebuilding.
Firefighters responded around 3:45 a.m. to find flames on the outside of the building that had already spread into the rafters and kitchen area.
“We got a call — some bystanders saw smoke and flames coming from right behind me at the corner of the building,” Chief Peter Jaskulski of the Hales Corners Fire Department said.
No one was inside the restaurant when the fire started, and no injuries were reported. However, smoke and water damage inside is significant.
Multiple fire departments responded to contain the blaze, including units from Greendale, Milwaukee, West Allis, Greenfield and Franklin.
“Another fire unit came from Greendale. We also had units from Milwaukee, West Allis, Greenfield, and Franklin,” Jaskulski said.
Firefighters successfully contained the flames to the kitchen area before they could spread further throughout the building…