19 residents of Wisconsin Rapids assisted-living facility displaced by Thursday fire

A fire started in a bedroom late Thursday afternoon at Hilltop of Pepper, 630 Pepper Ave. in Wisconsin Rapids.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS − A fire that started in a bedroom late Thursday afternoon has displaced 19 residents of Hilltop of Pepper.

At 4:47 p.m. Thursday, a caller reported a fire in a bedroom at the assisted-living facility, which specializes in caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department Division Chief Brennan Agen said. Hilltop of Pepper, 630 Pepper Ave., has a sprinkler system, which activated and extinguished a large portion of the fire.

When firefighters arrived, they finished putting out the fire, Agen said. There were 19 residents at the facility who had to be placed at a different facility for the night. The Hilltop of Pepper building currently is not inhabitable.

Agen didn’t know how long the residents would be displaced.

At 9:30 p.m. Thursday, a Wisconsin Rapids officer driving by Hilltop heard an alarm and reported it, Agen said. Firefighters responded to the alarm, but the fire had not rekindled, Agen said. Because the home cares for people with dementia, the building is equipped with an alarm system that goes off if a resident tries to open an outside door, Agen said. The electricity to the building had been shut off and when it was turned back on it set the alarm off, Agen said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

More local news: Want to own a paper machine or bulldozer? Second auction planned for Wisconsin Rapids paper mill.

More local news: Take a look inside Immanuel Lutheran Church’s new Mission Center and church building as construction continues

Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.