The answer to the question about what caused the fire that destroyed Bass Bay Brewhouse in Muskego remains elusive more than two months later.
In a Feb. 25 email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tess Corners Fire Chief Marty Rukavina confirmed a social media post that the Dec. 12 fire at the popular lakeside restaurant left no clues behind.
“The State Fire Marshal communicated with the Tess Corners Fire Department regarding the investigation into the cause of the fire at the Bass Bay Brewhouse,” Rukavina said. “The investigation concluded that the cause of the fire was inconclusive.”
On its Facebook page, Bass Bay Brewhouse posted a comment on Feb. 24 alluding to the “inconclusive” investigation, adding that it is “something that makes finding closure difficult, but now gives us the opportunity to start to move forward.”
The owners reiterated in that post they intend to rebuild.
“We are focused on what comes next. Plans are already in motion, we are working toward rebuilding, and we will return!,” they said, adding “Although we will never be able to replicate exactly what once was, we will be back on the shores of Bass Bay sharing drinks and chasing sunsets soon!”
Bass Bay Brewhouse, owned by Ryan Oschmann and Andy Meinen, was destroyed in an early morning fire, initially believed to have started in the kitchen area of the residential segment of the property, S79 W15851 Aud Mar Drive.
The fire, first attended to by the Tess Corners Fire Department and Muskego police shortly after 6 a.m., grew drastically, eventually drawing 13 fire departments and first responders from Rochester, Mukwonago, Elm Grove, New Berlin, Vernon, Franklin, Greendale, Brookfield, Western Lakes, Kettle Moraine, Tichigan, Big Bend and Raymond.
Rukavina did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about what, if any, investigative tools remain now that state officials have listed the fire’s cause as inconclusive.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Investigators find little evidence on cause of Bass Bay Brewhouse fire
Reporting by Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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