Part of the Milwaukee U-Haul storage facility that caught on fire in January will be demolished and the removal could be costly following the discovery of trace amounts of asbestos.
Firefighters worked for hours on Jan. 21 into Jan. 22 to extinguish a five-alarm fire that engulfed part of a U-Haul storage facility near Walker’s Point in the Harbor District.
Damage to two of the U-Haul buildings, at 1500 S. First St., is beyond repair and is set to be demolished by the city, according to U-Haul.
The storage company said 400 of the 1,200 self-storage units at the center were affected by the fire, or from soot and water stemming from the fire. The center continues to operate at regular business hours.
Buildings C and H will be demolished, cleared and then rebuilt. Building C was empty, while Building H had belongings and these customers have been contacted and will have an opportunity to safely check what remains, U-Haul said.
Buildings B, D and E were also impacted but are recoverable. And these customers have been notified, U-Haul said.
The discovery of trace amounts of asbestos in the window glazing of the structure means a special construction process will be needed.
According to a pre-demolition survey, only a trace (0.019%) of asbestos was found in one of 21 samples taken. The EPA defines asbestos-containing materials as materials containing asbestos concentrations greater than 1%. Based upon the results of analysis, materials containing asbestos concentrations exceeding 1% were not identified at the site.
The estimated cost to raze the 340,000-square-foot structure is $200,000.
Customers affected by the fire can reach out to U-Haul at 920-246-5899.
This article has been updated to add new information and correct the number of buildings being razed to two.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee U-Haul storage to be demolished, rebuilt after fire; asbestos found
Reporting by Drake Bentley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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