Perhaps burning bras was all the rage back in the day, but fire department officials in Milwaukee were worried about a very specific collection of undergarments going up in flames. After a bar with a 45-year tradition of decorating its premises with bras and boxers had to take down the hanging intimates for fear of spreading fires, the business’ owner is now celebrating after the city said the clothing is probably harmless. Whew.

The tradition all started with a bunch of boozy galpals, the 87-year-old owner tells WITI News.

“About 45 years ago all the girls got together and we were drinking so we decided to take our bras off and hang them up,” she remembers.

That all changed lats month when the bar was served with an order to take down the collection of dangling bras and boxers, over worries that all that material was violating fire codes.

Shock, outrage, and denial followed.

“You know, I got a retired chief of police that comes in here and he was on an arson squad and he says ‘I never heard of a fire starting with a bra,’ ” the owner said.

Her local alderman agreed, saying the city was probably overreaching, and made a couple of phone calls. And boom — back in the bra business: Milwaukee’s Department of Neighborhood Services dismissed the takedown order yesterday. Turns out that based on the size of the bar and the location of its exit, those dangling underoos aren’t a fire hazard.

“Put the bras back up, well that’s great!” the owner said in response to the news, which apparently hit during her interview with the news. “We’re gonna have a party for that and call the girls!”

And lest you think customers only donate their laundry-week underthings, the bar’s owner says that ain’t so.

“We’ve got some Victoria’s Secret [bras] in here — we’ve got some good ones!”

Officials backpedal after bras hanging in bar ordered taken down [WITI News]

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