Dentist in Madison, WI.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Five people were displaced following a fire Monday afternoon in downtown Madison, Madison Fire Department reported.

According to the MFD, crews responded around 4:15 p.m. to the 900 block of East Gorham Street.

When crews arrived on scene, MFD said crews found fire in the back of the building with flames going from the second to the third floor.

Amy Quarticcio lives directly behind the affected building. She said she heard crackling and went outside, where she was met with large flames coming from the top floors of a neighboring home.

“It sounded like the largest fire I’d ever heard like in the fire place,” said Quarticcio. “I quickly called 911 while running over and there were two bystanders already knocking on the doors and got the tenants out.”

Authorities said the fire was fought with water from the ground level, as well as up above from a ladder truck. Firefighters were able to put the fire out in 45 minutes, MFD said.

“We had approximately 10 to 12 engines and ladders and medic units on scene here,” said MFD Division Chief Dave Crossen.

At around 4:30 p.m., officials said East Gorham Street between N. Ingersoll and N. Paterson Streets was closed so firefighters could put out the fire. By about 8:15 p.m., the road was back open.

Two of the people who were displaced are UW students, MFD explained. The American Red Cross is helping those who were displaced. MFD said UW Madison is helping the displaced students.

Madison officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire.

Crossen told WMTV that they “do not have a place of origin” for the fire.

The investigation is ongoing, with the help of those who watched from just over the fence.

“The fire investigators were at my front door because someone told them I have video and so they are investigating it now to see what had caused it and going from there,” said Quarticcio.

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Each period carried a different moment of importance for a University of Wisconsin defender who doesn't often find herself in the spotlight as much as she did Saturday.

Ava Murphy was in the penalty box when the Badgers fell behind five minutes into an NCAA Tournament regional final against Clarkson. She led the Badgers out of a scoring freeze in the second period.

Women's Hockey

And the sophomore contributed a massive defensive play in a one-goal game in the third, breaking up a Golden Knights 2-on-1 rush.

"It was definitely a very chaotic game," Murphy said after the Badgers earned a spot in the Frozen Four for the third straight year and 16th time overall.

She was a key presence in a 4-1 victory over Clarkson at LaBahn Arena, something that probably wasn't in the Badgers' primary plans for how to get through their final home game of the season.

"I thought it was a great team effort," Murphy said. "I think being down in the first, it made the win feel even better because the nerves were definitely high. But we were able to stay composed."

Murphy scored in the Badgers' first game of the season and again Jan. 17 but hasn't made that a big part of her game. She came through with a key goal Saturday to eliminate some of those nerves.

"She had a strong game," Badgers coach Mark Johnson said. "Some of the other people may have been a little nervous in the first period. Who's going to be able to handle the stage when the stage gets pretty big?"

Clarkson held the nation's highest-scoring team in check for more than 30 minutes and had the lead. Murphy was called for tripping in the first period and watched from the box as Nicole Gosling gave the Golden Knights the first lead for a visiting team in a Badgers NCAA Tournament home game since 2011.

Women's Hockey

She made up for it 11 minutes, 36 seconds into the second period with a one-timer from the left circle to make it 1-1. Kelly Gorbatenko scored just over six minutes later to put the Badgers ahead for good.

Kirsten Simms fired a good chance just high of the net — it was a theme for the Badgers to that point — and Murphy raced to the left point to keep the puck in the offensive zone. It cycled around from right to left and Murphy took advantage of a collapsed Clarkson defense to move up into the left circle.

Casey O'Brien reversed directions behind the net and backhanded a pass to Murphy, who dipped down to one knee to fire high past Clarkson goalie Holly Gruber.

"I just kind of put everything into it that I had," Murphy said, "and I was lucky enough that it went in."

Murphy's contributions continued in the final period, when she broke up a play between Jenna Goodwin and Shelby Laidlaw to keep the Badgers ahead 2-1.

A Wisconsin 3-on-2 rush didn't amount to much and the Golden Knights turned things around. Goodwin, whose speed forced Murphy into the first-period penalty, dished the puck this time to Laidlaw. Murphy closed in on her and kneeled to block the return pass for Goodwin near the left post.

Women's Hockey

Playing a 2-on-1 is tricky for the defender, Murphy said, but her quick decision to pressure the puck paid off.

"I think (goalie) Ava McNaughton did very well this game, and I wanted to try to help her out as much as I could," Murphy said. "I was happy I was able to block it."

The third period wasn't a perfect close-out for the Badgers, who allowed a few good chances for Clarkson to tie the game. But they got the job done to keep alive their chase for an eighth NCAA championship.

Wisconsin has star power — forwards Casey O'Brien and Laila Edwards and defender Caroline Harvey are the three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation's top player. But depth often makes a difference, and the Badgers have shown that in their last two games. Third-line forward Sarah Wozniewicz scored the last-minute winner in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff championship game and Murphy had a big role in the regional final.

"Amazing team, amazing leaders," Murphy said. "To be able to win it with them was very special."

Space enthusiasts: Set your alarms for overnight tonight and look up. A total lunar eclipse is set for Wisconsin skies.

The celestial event features the alignment of the earth, moon and sun to bring light to the night sky.

Once the moon passes the Earth’s shadow, a beautiful range of red and orange colors will form as the “blood moon” takes effect.

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“If there’s a few clouds, it should be bright enough to see through them,” said Jim Head, president of the Northwoods Explorers of Space and Astronomy in Minocqua.

Head spoke with WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” about what he called the “unique phenomena” expected over Wisconsin skies, with full visibility lasting from 1:26 to 2:31 a.m. Friday. Wisconsin hasn’t had an event like this since 2022.

“Our moon’s orbit is tilted 5 degrees to the plane of our orbit around the sun,” he said. “It has to be lined up perfectly with the plane — and that only happens a few times during the year.”

Head serves as the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory space ambassador, part of a public engagement effort to motivate volunteers to communicate about science and space exploration in their communities.

He said from the moon’s perspective, this would be like a solar eclipse involving Earth.

“You would see an [amazing] ring of fire around planet Earth,” he said. “The moon is entirely in an Earth shadow.”

Whether people have a telescope, binoculars or just their eyes, Head added that warmer temperatures for this year’s total lunar eclipse should create a more enjoyable experience.

“Last time it happened in Minocqua, it was 30 degrees below [zero] at 1 a.m. when my wife and I went out to see it,” he said.

As the March eclipse takes shape, math enthusiasts will celebrate national Pi Day to recognize the mathematical constant of pi — about 3.14 — observed on March 14.

“With pi, all you need is to look at the moon, calculate its diameter and you can determine its circumference and its volume,” Head said.

After a year-long period, he said, this calculation can then reflect the Earth’s orbital period.

“It’s a handy formula to use if you’re trying to figure out orbits and the circumference of planets,” he added.

More than 400 people look to Head’s Northwoods Explorers of Space and Astronomy in Minocqua for events and updates on lunar and solar eclipses.

Head said other resources such as timeanddate.com are valuable, as well.

For people interested in learning more about astronomy, there are more than a dozen astronomy clubs across Wisconsin to join.

“Almost all of them are nonprofit like we are,” he said. “We serve to educate the public and make them more aware of the beautiful universe that’s around us.”

Gov. Tony Evers today released a 2025-27 capital budget plan that includes top building and facilities priorities that advance the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s academic and research missions.

“Thank you to Gov. Evers for recognizing urgent infrastructure improvements that are critical to maintaining UW–Madison’s competitive edge in education and research,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin says. “We are grateful for the governor’s commitment to investing in essential projects that will ensure the state’s flagship will continue to meet the needs of our state and its workforce. We also deeply appreciate the continued advocacy on our behalf from the Universities of Wisconsin and the Board of Regents.”

Evers’ plan calls for $262.6 million in state funding to demolish the campus’s outdated Humanities Building and relocate the art and music programs by expanding existing buildings. The project will be supported by $30 million in philanthropic gifts to the university from alumni and supporters.

The Humanities Building, opened in 1968, has a backlog of $70 million in deferred maintenance and structural deficiencies that create barriers to educational effectiveness. Currently, there are 11 lecture halls that are unusable due to deteriorating building conditions and lack of audio-visual capabilities. Demolishing the outdated Humanities Building and relocating the art and music programs are crucial investments that will serve Wisconsin students and create space for growth that directly benefits Wisconsin’s economy and workforce.

The capital budget proposal also includes $293.4 million in program revenue supported borrowing (PRSB), funds supported by University Housing revenues, to construct additional housing on campus, as well as funding to complete a study for renovations to dining hall facilities in the campus’ Dejope and Chadbourne residence halls.

While there is no requirement for students to live in University Housing, UW–Madison has a long-standing goal of guaranteeing housing for all first-year students. Student housing issues constrain enrollment growth, hindering the ability to grow workforce capacity in the region and state.

As student enrollment continues to rise, UW–Madison’s housing facilities are filled to 104% of their designed capacity, with rooms designed as doubles serving as triples and some lounges converted into bed space. The university is partnering with state, local and the private sector to tackle the issue.

“Additional student housing along with the renovation of existing housing sites is a part of the overall solution to the housing shortage in our community,” Mnookin says. “Additional housing, built using zero taxpayer funds, will add 1,500 to 2,000 additional beds, alleviating overcrowding and ensuring that our students have stable, affordable housing.”

The capital budget also includes funding to address critical infrastructure needs across the Universities of Wisconsin campuses, including renovations to Van Vleck Hall, a roof replacement at Vilas Hall, and exterior updates to Waters Residence Hall. Other projects in the package include multi-building upgrades to fire alarms, elevators, and digital controls that will enhance safety and energy efficiency, and funding to plan modernizations of electrical and thermal storage systems to improve efficiency at the Charter Street Heating Plant.

“We look forward to working with the governor and our legislative partners to make sure these important investments are included in the capital budget to maintain the high-quality education and student experience Wisconsin residents should and do expect from UW–Madison,” UW–Madison Vice Chancellor for University Relations Craig Thompson says.

Evers released a 2025-27 biennial budget proposal in February that includes an additional $856 million in funding over the biennium for the Universities of Wisconsin and a fully funded compensation plan for UW employees. That plan and the capital budget now go to the legislature, which will debate and amend it this spring before sending it back to the governor.

To learn more about the latest UW–Madison budget news, resources and priorities, visit the state budget website, and subscribe to the twice-monthly Government Relations newsletter.