08/13/2026
August 13th, 2006
20 years ago on this day, the Green Bay Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire on Edgewood Drive at 12:24 PM. Little did anyone know that lives would be forever changed and we would lose one of our own from this fire.
Station 5 units were first to arrive on the scene; heavy smoke could be seen coming from the home. Crews were given tasks upon arrival, and everyone went to work. Engine 5 entered the front of the building with a hose line in hopes of quickly extinguishing the fire. Ambulance 5, which was staffed by Lt. Wolff and Firefighter Brinkley-Chaudoir on that day, entered the structure shortly after Engine 5 to perform search and rescue. Within seconds, a section of the first floor collapsed. Lt. Wolff and Firefighter Brinkley-Chaudoir were in the area of the collapse and fell into the basement, which was fully involved with the fire. During the collapse, a dividing wall in the basement physically separated the two crew members. Firefighter Brinkley-Chaudoir fell into a room with windows and was able to be rescued. She suffered a hip fracture, rib fracture, and burn injuries. Lt. Wolff fell into a room without windows, and his only exit was blocked by debris. Lt. Wolff called a MAYDAY, but rescuers sadly were not able to reach him due to the intensity of the fire and because he was covered by debris. 13 hours after the fire was reported, firefighters and investigators recovered Lt. Wolff’s body.
Lt. Arnie Wolff responded to his final alarm on that dark day. So today we remember and pay tribute to Lt. Wolff, who gave the ultimate sacrifice, protecting the community he loved.