Assistant Attorney General appointed in Saxon fire probe

By RALPH ANSAMI

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Hurley — There are new developments in the investigation into the March 12 fire that destroyed the Bear Trap Inn in Saxon, resulting in the death of a Kimball, Wis., woman.

Lisa (Henning) Waldros, 52, a bartender at her sister’s tavern-restaurant business, was found dead in the rubble after the fire. Her body was found in the bathroom area of the structure, according to family members. An autopsy was performed in Madison.

Iron County Judge Patrick Madden, who returned Wednesday from a trip to Arizona, said while he was away he appointed an assistant Attorney General to investigate the case.

Acting Judge Douglas Fox, of Price County, issued recent search warrants connected to the case, Madden said.

Madden said he wasn’t aware of any arrests being made in connection with the fire.

The judge said the investigation has been “intense” and is being treated as a priority matter both locally and by the state.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice and its Department of Criminal Investigation operate under the Attorney General’s direction.

Iron County District Attorney Marty Lipske was vacationing in Colorado this week, where he was undergoing tests for a sudden medical ailment.

Immediately after the fire, family members and onlookers at the scene wondered why Waldros couldn’t escape the fire in the one-story building.

Saxon residents said officers in bulletproof vests detained at least two people down the block from the fire scene last Friday night and handcuffs were placed on one man, but he was apparently later released.

The Iron County Sheriff’s Department has not issued any news releases regarding the cause of the fire, nor the subsequent execution of the search warrants.

The fire occurred around 3:20 a.m. on that Saturday and the state fire marshal’s office arrived later in the day to begin its investigation. The fire marshal investigators documented their findings as they removed the debris, piece by piece.

The body of Waldros was found on the following Monday morning after investigators, assisted by local firefighters, shoveled through the rubble all weekend. Her car had been parked in the front of the tavern on Saxon’s main street and it was towed away as evidence a few hours after the fire was discovered.

Early in the investigation, Iron County Sheriff Tony Furyk cautioned that it might seem like a slow process, but the state investigators are meticulous in their criminal probes.

Hundreds of area residents attended a memorial gathering for Waldros last Friday afternoon at the Kimball Community Center.