Early Sunday morning, a fast-moving blaze ripped through a two-story, eight-unit apartment building near 77th Street and Green Tree, trapping residents on the upper floor and turning a quiet block into an emergency scene. The fire started in a first-floor common hallway, cutting off the main exit and forcing firefighters into dramatic ladder rescues, officials said. Crews from neighboring departments were called in, and the structure has since been declared uninhabitable.
Rescue and response
With the primary stairway blocked by smoke and flames, residents on the second floor were left with one option: the windows. According to FOX6 Now, Milwaukee Fire Department crews rolled in with ladders and quickly moved to reach those upper-unit windows where people were seen hanging out and calling for help. Firefighters pulled several residents to safety from the outside while paramedics staged below.
Six paramedic units responded to treat and transport injured residents, and mutual-aid companies from the North Shore and Wauwatosa fire departments were requested to bolster the effort, FOX6 Now reported. With the cold adding insult to injury for those forced out of their homes, an MCTS bus was brought in to give displaced residents a warm place to shelter while crews worked the scene.
Where this fits
The determination that the building is uninhabitable now adds another address to a growing list of Milwaukee apartment fires that have raised uncomfortable questions about building safety and sprinkler requirements. Hoodline previously covered an Arson Inferno Near 27th, and national reporting on a deadly Mother's Day fire last year highlighted how older apartment buildings without sprinklers can be especially vulnerable to catastrophic loss, according to AP News.
Investigation
The Milwaukee Fire Investigation Unit remained on scene after the flames were knocked down, working to pinpoint the cause and origin of the hallway fire. Officials told FOX6 Now that no firefighters were hurt during the response, a rare bright spot in a tense morning.
