Fire Damages Gills Rock Stoneware

Larry and Judy Thoreson came home from a Packer Party last night riding high, like Packer fans throughout Wisconsin. But when they pulled into Ellison Bay they saw the flashing lights of an army of fire trucks parked at their home and studio, Gills Rock Stoneware.

“It’s Jack,” Judy said to her husband, referring to their dog, Jackson. Sadly, she was right.

A fire damaged the home of Larry and Judy Thoreson in Ellison Bay last night.

The Thoreson’s dog, Jackson, died in the fire at their home on the corner of Highway 42 and Lakeview Road in Ellison Bay. On Monday morning Larry, known as Thor to many, stood inside the home looking out through the hole firefighters had ripped in the kitchen wall to get at the source of the flames. A streak of black rose to the rooftop over him, and yellow caution tape surrounded the hole in the floor next to his refrigerator, where the fire is believed to have originated.

Inside, a thick layer of soot covered floors, furniture, and walls. Sister Bay/ Liberty Grove Fire Chief Chris Hecht said the soot was unusually heavy.

“This is the first fire we’ve had at a structure that was SIP constructed,” he said. “That foam gives off a lot of soot when it burns.”

SIP refers to Structurally Insulated Panels, which are generally 4X8 foot panels with 6 inches of foam sandwiched between plywood or particle board.

Hecht said the fire was called in at 7:05 pm Sunday by a neighbor, and by the time firefighters arrived at 7:12 flames had breached the exterior wall and burning up to the second floor. Firefighters left the scene around 9:30 pm. The Thoreson’s studio was largely untouched, as was the original, 100 year-old portion of the home. The bulk of the fire and soot was relegated to the new portion, constructed about 10 years ago.

Monday morning, as Thoreson surveyed the damage to his home, he breathed in the heavy, charred odor the fire had left behind and wondered if his piano would be salvaged. He wondered what could have started the fire, and recalled how he and his wife had made a big deal of shutting off the coffeemaker before leaving.

A couple of friends stopped by to offer help and support. A place to stay, a trailer, words of advice. As they left, Larry’s hands were dug into his jacket pockets as the cool air rushed in to his exposed kitchen, he shook his head and he kicked at the charred tiles at his feet, and his thoughts went back to his dog.

“Everything else,” he said, gesturing to the blackened home around him, “is just stuff. Losing Jackson, that’s the hardest part of this whole thing.”

A Facebook page has been set up for the Thoreson’s for those who want to offer words of support and help. Click here to view the page.