Damages still unknown in Friday's nursery fire

Menomonee Falls - A fire that erupted Friday at a Shady Lane Nursery greenhouse destroyed a greenhouse structure, Christmas plants and equipment.

Though the structures themselves are not that expensive, said Menomonee Falls Fire Chief Jeff Hevey, the destroyed contents lost are anticipated to be costly. The amount of damages were unknown by the time this article went to print as insurance was working up an estimate for the nursery, Hevey said Tuesday morning.

The fire that started at 11:48 a.m. Friday at the nursery, N7388 Shady Lane, is under investigation; however, Hevey said it was most likely caused by a welding project that started some of the greenhouse insulation on fire.

"The fire progressed rapidly after they noticed it," Hevey said.

No employees or firefighters were injured during the incident. The fire was extinguished by 2:19 p.m. and caused a partial collapse of the building. A power line also fell across the roof of the greenhouse.

The nursery has since opened back up for business.

Responding crews included Butler, the city of Brookfield, Elm Grove, Germantown, Lannon, Lisbon, Mequon, Merton, North Shore, Richfield, Sussex, Wauwatosa and the Waukesha County Rehab Unit.

- Danielle Switalski