UPDATE; Village Manager of Laurium, Ian Lewis, provides some initial details on a fire incident at the George Gipp Ice Arena.
The Laurium Fire Department responded to a smoking vent at the George Gipp Arena early Thursday morning after the Department of Public Works discovered the issue around 4:30 a.m.
“They called them over and they put it out. Sounded like whatever was kind of smoking, they put it out,” said Ian Lewis, Village Manager for the Village of Laurium. “Now we have Airco Electric here just kind of verifying everything and hopefully we’ll figure out what it was.”
DPW workers and firefighters accessed the arena and located the source of the smoke: a faulty electrical switch inside an off-season storage room. Lewis said fire departments were called as a precaution, and the community was fortunate the incident wasn’t worse.
“There’s a whole bunch of picnic tables back there and chairs. It’s really not a room that’s used,” Lewis said. “So it truly was just an electrical malfunction, and lucky we were able to catch it before it turned into a fire.”
Airco Electrical arrived to inspect the facility’s electrical system and assess any damage. Lewis said the arena recently began closing operations for the winter ice season. While Airco Electrical assesses the electrical system, the Gipp Arena crew is working to remove the ice surface.
The incident should not impact the community’s summer plans or activities inside the arena, Lewis said.
“Everything is still going to be on schedule. No real damage was done to the building or anything inside, besides that outlet, so we’re very thankful and lucky that it didn’t turn into a fire and caught when it was,” Lewis said.
The George Gipp Ice Arena serves as a gathering place for the community throughout the year. During summer, the facility hosts pickleball players and roller skating.
The arena anchors a large recreation area where the community plays baseball and softball at nearby fields. Laurium also plans to install a splash pad to expand the village’s recreation.
Nearly one year ago, Laurium experienced a much larger fire when the DPW garage was destroyed. The village has started work with Moyle Construction on a new facility next to the former site.
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The original report for a fire response at the George Gipp Ice Arena was published at 7:33am on April 2nd, 2026.
The Laurium Fire Department responded to a small fire at the George Gipp Arena early Thursday morning.
The fire was reported near the back of the arena. Firefighters opened the rear zamboni door to access the area where volunteers found and quickly extinguished the flames.
Several departments responded to assist. After taking control of the situation, crews began unhooking hoses around 5 a.m. and started cleaning up the site.
Village Manager Ian Lewis will provide more information after meeting with Fire Chief Dan Zubiena.
Near the arena, Laurium experienced a much larger fire nearly one year ago when the DPW garage was destroyed. Laurium has started work with Moyle Construction on a new facility next to the former site.
The George Gipp Ice Arena anchors a large recreation area. The community plays baseball and softball at nearby fields, and families gather at the park. Laurium also plans to install a splash pad to expand the village’s recreation.
