News photo by Steve Schulwitz An Alpena Fire fighter sprays the back porch section of the Sports Page Lounge during a fire last week. Much of the bar had been destroyed already but firefighters did their best to save as much as they could.

ALPENA – The official cause for the fire that destroyed the Sports Page Lounge, Lucky Rabbit Tattoo, and Pampered Paw last week will officially be recorded as undetermined.

Alpena Fire Chief Andy Marceau said the damage to the buildings was so severe that learning what the cause of the blaze is unlikely.

“We have looked into it, and it will be an undetermined fire,” Alpena Fire Chief Andy Marceau said. “Without 100 percent accuracy we just can’t make a determination. We have hypotheticals about what could have caused the fire, but that is speculation at this time, so the fire will be listed as undetermined.”

Alpena Fire Captain Brett Miller explained the fire response and priorities when first responders arrived at the fire. He said public safety, firefighter safety, and trying to save the structures were the number one concerns. He added that firefighters battled the fire as long as it could, but eventually had to pull back from it.

“Our number one priority is life safety, and once it was determined we did not have any life safety concerns, priorities were switched to the defensive side of things, “Miller said. “We fought the fire offensively until it was no longer safe to do so.”

A publication on firerescue1.com indicates, “offensive firefighting is an aggressive, interior attack aimed at extinguishing a fire at its source to save lives and property, typically used when conditions are safe.”

Additionally, “defensive firefighting is an exterior, containment-focused strategy used when the structure is too dangerous, prioritizing firefighter safety and protecting surrounding exposures.”

When firefighting personnel arrived on scene, they were hoping that they could salvage the property.

“When we got there, we initially thought we could still salvage the building and make a stop,” Miller said. “We did have several crews going into the structure trying to make a push to get to the seat of the fire and put it out.”

Once it’s determined a building is unsalvageable, difficult decisions must be made.

“We try to be offensive as long as we can, at some point you have to look at the situation and determine if the building is salvageable,” Miller said. “It just progressed to a point where it was time to switch to defensive efforts to keep everyone safe.”

When firefighting strategy shifts, outside equipment is sometimes brought in to aid the firefighters in containing a fire. That decision was made last week by Marceau.

“As the Fire Chief and the individual who called in the excavator, I have been asked why I made that decision,” Marceau said. “I must look at the safety of my firefighters and citizens of Alpena, after I left that scene, I couldn’t keep those walls standing.”

To add to the situation, due to the proximity of a neighboring business, efforts had to be made to save that property as well.

“That building was not involved, and we did not want it to get involved,” Marceau said. “That business being John Boy’s, so I had to make the decision.”

Marceau believes certain factors contributed to how quickly the fire spread.

“Because of the size of the building and the common attic spaces, there are no fire breaks,” Marceau said. “These are old structures that have dried out and the fire spread rapidly.”

Miller also described how the structures impacted the fire’s spread.

“The one building was a balloon frame, when the fire started it traveled up the walls, and into the conjoining attics,” he said.

According to an article published on finehomebuilding.com, “balloon-framing is a building method in which the wall studs run the entire height of the outside walls from the mudsills to the roof plates.”

To prevent future fires in similar buildings, or any building, education is important, Marceau said.

“I really think educating people about any type of heating source,” Marceau said. “Make sure your electrical is up to code, and your smoke alarms work properly.”

Throughout the fire local citizens, businesses, and organizations stepped up to support the families affected and the firefighters themselves.

“I can’t say enough to John Benson, for supplying Gatorade, pizza and drinks,” Marceau said. “We also had Players Pub n Grub, the Salvation Army, and McInerney Jeep Chrysler all step up to help.”

Marceau would also like to thank the entire Alpena community for its support.

“We are blessed to live in a community where anytime we have a major incident like this, the outpouring of support from our citizens is unwavering and it does not go unnoticed,” Marceau added. “We really appreciate that.”