Historic New Glarus tavern likely to remain closed for at least a week after fire

NEW GLARUS, Wis. — A historic New Glarus tavern was closed following an electrical fire Friday night, officials said.

The fire was located at Puempel’s Olde Tavern, its owner, Chuck Bigler, said.

The call for the fire came in at 8:30 p.m., according to Green County dispatchers.

The fire was an electrical fire with minor flames, New Glarus Police Chief Burt Boldebuck said.

The bar is likely to be closed for a week to 10 days, Bigler said. The fire was likely caused by an exhaust fan, which damaged the bathrooms, he said.

Bigler said the tavern’s historic murals were not damaged.

The tavern, established in 1893, was occupied with employees and customers when the fire started. The whole building, including a nextdoor business and upstairs apartments was evacuated for the fire, Boldebuck said.

Law enforcement reported that both directions of Highway 39 — eastbound and westbound — from Highway 69 westbound through New Glarus were shut down temporarily, according to the Department of Transportation.

Firefighters stayed on the scene to inspect the wiring of the building, Boldebuck said.

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