Kenosha grocery store fire; 1 unaccounted for
Scene at Model Market Friday morning.
KENOSHA, Wis. - Investigators are trying to locate a man who may have been inside Kenosha's Model Market fire on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
Forty-eight hours after the fire began, officials were still at the scene Friday combing through what little was left behind. Some debris sat in one neighbor's front yard.
Viewer video showed firefighters trying to put out the inferno at the family-run grocery store from every angle. It had been around since 1919, area resident George Matick said; he had a front-row seat to the devastation.
Kenosha fire near 54th Street and 23rd Avenue. (Courtesy: Mara Carper)
"It just got progressively worse. I seen the windows pop," said Matick.
It wasn't long before smoke blocked Matick's view from across the street. Investigators told FOX6 the building is a total loss. The market's owner told FOX6 off-camera that crews are now searching for a body.
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10-year-old Natalie Edwards used to stop at Model Market daily with her dad. What's left of the historic building near 54th Street and 24th Avenue is now covered in a thick coat of ice.
"I just can’t believe it’s gone," Edwards said.
Scene at Model Market Friday morning.
The Red Cross is helping four people who lived in two apartments above the store, their homes lost to the blaze. Police and fire departments are looking into the possibility that arson may be to blame, but have so far not determined a cause or origin.
Officials said there are no other known injuries to the public or firefighters. They continue to investigate.
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This continues to be a Kenosha Fire Department investigation; however, we are working closely with Kenosha Police Department’s fire investigators as we proceed. There were no other known injuries to the public or fire department personnel.
Both departments are aware of the speculation circulating that this fire was a result of arson. This is simply speculation at this time.
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