TOWN OF GARDNER — The wildfire scene in Southern Door County remained quite Friday morning after 140 firefighters from 19 departments spent two days containing the massive blaze.
According to a news release, the Brussels-Union-Gardner (BUG) Fire Department was first called out about 2:50 p.m. Tuesday for an ATV on fire in a wooded area approximately .25 miles east of County C near Gravel Pit Road in the Town of Gardner.
The 911 caller was the owner of the ATV and reported a grass fire was starting as a result of the ATV fire.
Upon arrival at 2:56 pm, first units confirmed a significant amount of fire in a wooded and swamp like area on the east side of County C.
Within seconds, the fire traveled west across County C igniting significant fuel load of brush, cattails, marsh and dead ash trees along with a corn field.
County C was impassable and was closed to traffic during the entire operation.
A MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) was activated and upgraded multiple times ultimately resulting in Fire Department agencies responding from Door, Kewaunee, Brown and Manitowoc Counties.
In addition to BUG Fire, a total of 19 Fire Departments with over 140 Firefighters responded and actively worked to contain the scene. Neighboring structures were protected and no buildings were damaged.
The cause of the ATV fire is currently unknown at this time. The ATV was destroyed by fire and 65-70 acres burned during the incident.
Water supply fill sites were set up at BUG Fire Station 1 located on County C. A total of 31,000 gallons of water was shuttled from the fill site to the scene. There were no injuries. The incident was cleared at 7:37 pm.
The following morning, on Wednesdayn October 29, 2025 at around 9 a.m., BUG Fire Crews along with multiple Door County Fire Departments were re-dispatched to the scene to work on extinguishing hot spots and burning peat moss below the ground.
An additional 2,000 gallons of water was used during this operation. All Units worked throughout the day, clearing the scene at 4:05 p.m.
The following agencies assisted: Fire Departments of Southern Door, Nasewaupee, Sturgeon Bay, Casco, New Franken, Algoma, Jacksonport, Kewaunee, Sister Bay Liberty Grove, Egg Harbor, Baileys Harbor, Ephraim, Tisch Mills, Denmark, Carlton, Luxemburg, Suamico, Hobart and Pulaski. Also assisting were Door County EMS, Door County Sheriff’s Office, Door County Highway Department, and Door County 911 Communications Center.
Firefighters thanked Marchant’s Foods, Swanky Taco and Sloppy Hog BBQ for providing food during rehab operations and after the scene was cleared.
Special thanks went to BUG Fire Canteen Volunteers.
BUG Fire Chief Curt Vandertie extended a special thank you to its entire community and surrounding communities for their ongoing support and also gave thanks to all of the firefighters who continue to proudly serve the Towns of Brussels, Union, and Gardner.