News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The remnants of several buildings in Alpena burn during a fire on Wednesday.

ALPENA — A fire on the 800 block of Chisholm Street on Wednesday resulted in a total loss of the buildings that housed the Sports Page Lounge, The Pampered Paw, and Lucky Rabbit Tattoo, as well as two apartments.

It appears however that John Boy’s restaurant may have survived with only water and smoke damage, but there could also be structural damage. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.

No firefighter or civilian injuries were reported.

The Alpena Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 3:26 p.m on Wednesday. While responding, crews observed a large column of smoke visible shortly after leaving the station. The thick blanket of smoke covered that area of the city and the fire forced police to close roads and alleys near the blaze, which caused some traffic backup in that part of town.

Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke coming from a window within an apartment building located adjacent to John Boy’s Restaurant. All nearby businesses were immediately evacuated, and fire crews initiated an aggressive interior attack.

Crews advanced up the rear stairwell but encountered extreme heat and heavy smoke. Simultaneously, another crew laddered the adjacent building and attempted to access the upstairs apartments through windows. Both teams experienced thick, black smoke and high heat conditions and were unable to reach the seat of the fire. The fire rapidly extended into an adjoining structure through shared attic space that lacked fire separation.

Multiple additional attempts were made to access the fire; however, due to deteriorating conditions, operations were transitioned to a defensive strategy.

Once defensive operations began, Bedrock Contracting and Excavating was requested to assist with structural demolition to gain access and support fire suppression efforts.

Nine on-duty firefighters, the Training Officer, and the Fire Chief made the initial response. Fourteen off-duty firefighters and four auxiliary members were called in to assist. The Combat Readiness Training Center Fire Department responded with two personnel and initially served as the Rapid Intervention Team until operations moved to defensive mode.

MyMichigan Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the Alpena Township Fire Department provided EMS and fire coverage through mutual aid. Additional agencies assisting at the scene included the Alpena City Police Department, Alpena Power Company, DTE Energy, Alpena County Central Dispatch, Alpena County Emergency Management, City Department of Public Works, Alpena County Sheriff’s Office, and the Michigan State Police.

All units cleared the scene at 9:45 pm.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.