Common Cookhouse 'Devastated' By Fire, Small Businesses Impacted

OAK CREEK, WI — A fire broke out Wednesday afternoon at the Common Cookhouse building in Oak Creek, leaving multiple small business owners without a space to work.

The fire began around 4:30 p.m. Oak Creek firefighters found smoke emerging from the building in the 900 block of East Rawson Avenue and began to attack the fire inside, but the fire progressed and left the structure compromised, according to a news release from the agency.

A video shared by USFiR on Twitter showed flames emerging from the building's roof. The front of the building appeared to have suffered damage as firefighters worked nearby.

Common Cookhouse said it was "devastated" by the fire in a Facebook post on Thursday. The building houses 18 current and two prospective food businesses, all of which will need to relocate for now, the Facebook post said.

The Cookhouse thanked first responders for their help, calling them "true professionals."

"As you can imagine, the list of things requiring attention is long and will take some time to get through," Common Cookhouse said.

RELATED: Fire Breaks Out At Building On Rawson Avenue In Oak Creek

Common Cookhouse has advertised itself to food makers since 2020 as a place "to start and scale their operations," according to its Facebook page.

Numerous small restaurant operators used the kitchen, including the recently opened Oxtail Noodle House ghost kitchen, Ruby's Bagels, Mr. Greens BBQ, Bleu Sheep Charcuterie and more, according to the Cookhouse Facebook page.

"We have suffered a huge loss," Ruby's Bagels said in a Facebook post after the fire. "Our team is safe, so is everyone else that uses the Common Cookhouse."

Firefighters were pulled out of the building as the fire rapidly expanded Wednesday evening. The blaze was upgraded to a second alarm just over an hour after the call first came in, and firefighters began defensive operations, according to the fire department news release.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries in the incident and two people were treated for possible smoke inhalation, the news release said.

Several businesses that used the space are now without storage, cooling and prep space, WISN 12 reported.

Dillon Knight, one of the owners of the food truck Trouble Maker’s Cocina, told WISN 12 he was in the building when the fire broke out. Seeing the flames emerge as he stepped outside left Knight "at a loss for words," he told the television station.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.