An early-morning apartment fire that Milwaukee police say was intentionally set tore through a small two-story building near 27th and Loomis, sending five people to local hospitals and leaving about two dozen neighbors suddenly without homes. Flames and thick smoke raced through the Fardale Avenue building as residents scrambled to escape and first responders launched fast, high-risk rescues, as reported by CBS58.
What We Know So Far
Crews were dispatched just after 6:30 a.m. Friday, and five people were taken to area hospitals, according to CBS58. The outlet reports the victims include a 27-year-old with life-threatening injuries, a 64-year-old and an 18-year-old with serious injuries, and a 47-year-old and a 9-year-old with non-fatal injuries.
Rescues At The Scene
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said, “We were getting numerous phone calls about people trapped with numerous kids inside apartment units – elderly folks, wheelchair-bound folks,” describing a chaotic scene as firefighters arrived to heavy smoke and people in distress.
Firefighters pulled residents from second-floor windows after some people jumped to escape the smoke. Neighbors and a property manager described people breaking windows and climbing down to safety, and the Red Cross said all eight units in the building are now unlivable, with about 25 people displaced, according to FOX6 News.
No Sprinklers And A Policy Gap
Chief Lipski noted the building did not have a sprinkler system, a factor officials say can dramatically worsen how quickly a fire spreads. Current city and state rules require sprinklers in some newer or taller multifamily buildings but leave older, low-rise properties outside those mandates, a policy gap that drew renewed attention after last year’s deadly Mother’s Day fire, local reporting shows; see WISN for background.
Investigation And How To Help
Milwaukee police say the fire has been ruled arson and that detectives are searching for a known suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call the Milwaukee Police Department at 414-935-7360 or Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS, according to CBS58.
Fire-marshal investigators are working the scene while the Red Cross assists displaced tenants and officials continue their probe.
Why This Matters
It is the second arson investigation Milwaukee police opened this week, with a separate apartment fire near 22nd and Hampton also displacing neighbors and spotlighting the same sprinkler gaps, according to FOX6 News. City leaders have said they will keep pressing landlords and reviewing building codes as questions about retrofits and tenant safety continue to mount…