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The Tomah Welding and Steele Supply building may have to be rebuilt after a fire on Friday.

The fire was mistakenly reported to have occurred at the Keene Transfer building in the June 9 edition of the Tomah Journal.

The Tomah Fire Department was on scene over four hours after a fire was reported by a Tomah Welding and Steele Supply employee Friday morning. The employee noticed a flash in a compression room while welding. When he took his helmet off, he inhaled smoke and attempted to put the fire out, but was unsuccessful.

The Fire Department battled much of the fire from the outside once it was known that no one was left in the building, because the structure is made of tin, and insulated, Fire Chief Kevin Decorah said.

“Everyone was out, so it wasn’t worth sending people in to get hurt,” Decorah said. “We were there a long time.

The cause of the fire was electrical, and Decorah said that the building is probably a total loss. The Tomah Fire Department was assisted by the Tomah Police Department, Tomah Ambulance Service and the Fort McCoy Fire Department.