January 16, 1962
Windows Across Street Cracked by Fire’s Heat
An alarm turned in at 6:35 am Friday brought the Sister Bay fire department to Pete’s Pizza. Ephraim and Baileys Harbor fire departments were also called.
The fire began inside the building and was discovered by a passerby. The interior was already burned out and the only thing firemen could do was to work at saving the Frank Dvorak home located less than 25 ft from the burning building.
Water was also turned on the newly remodeled Master Freeze Corp. building which is directly across the street.
When the front windows on the Pizza building broke the flames leaped out halfway across the street, cracking windows in the Masterfreeze building.
In a few minutes the roof of the Pizza place fell in and then the walls, making one big burning pile.
The building 28 x 74, was of asbestos siding and a built-up roof. The estimated loss was $20,000 with another $13,000 of equipment in the interior, also a total loss.
Peter Pane opened Pete’s Pizza this past summer, renting the building from Joseph Jungwirth. The building was not in operation since early fall, as the Panes had gone to Chicago to work for the winter months.
Mr. Jungwirth purchased the building late in 1951 and moved it to its present location in 1952. It was the former John A Pahl hardware store and stood between Bunda’s store and the John Pahl home. Mr. Pahl had a hardware business in the building for 44 years.
After Mr. Jungwirth moved the building in 1952 it was rented to William Bunda where he housed his men’s wear department until last January when the new addition to his present department store enabled him to move the men’s department into its present quarters.
The cause of the fire is still undetermined. The loss was partially covered by insurance.
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General Telephone Company of Wisconsin repairmen restored emergency service within a few hours following the fire, which caused considerable damage to cable facilities.
The blaze destroyed a 200 pair cable belonging to General Telephone that served the immediate local area in Sister Bay, plus a 25-pair cable used to provide service to the Ellison Bay-Gills Rock area. Approximately 115 lines and 304 telephones were affected by the damage to one complete span of each of these cables.
By 11 pm, on the same day of the fire, cable splicers and construction men had provided emergency service to the area and had telephones installed to temporarily handle fire calls and other emergencies as well as calls to the local clinic.
Service was completely restored to all telephones affected at 5 pm Saturday, Jan. 13.
