Milwaukee is moving to wipe a scorched U-Haul storage complex off the map on the Near South Side, after inspectors found the massive structure was beyond saving and carried trace amounts of asbestos. The 340,000-square-foot facility at 1500 S. 1st St., the site of a five-alarm blaze on Jan. 21, is now headed for demolition and environmental cleanup under a city raze permit. Neighbors and renters who relied on the rows of storage units are still sorting out what they lost and waiting for word on when crews will actually roll in.
Raze permit flags asbestos and an estimated $200,000 demolition
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a raze permit filed with the city notes that the building's window glazing contained trace amounts of asbestos, triggering a special abatement process before any demolition work can start. The permit also labels the structure as beyond repair and pegs the cost to tear it down at about $200,000. City paperwork shows Milwaukee itself will handle the demolition at this stage rather than leaving the job to private owners.
Fire response and damage
The U-Haul complex caught fire on Jan. 21, prompting a five-alarm response and more than 13 hours of firefighting, as reported by WISN. Crews initially tried to attack the flames from inside, then shifted to a defensive strategy when conditions worsened, and officials reported no injuries. Large sections of the roof burned away, and firefighters stayed on scene into the following day to chase lingering hot spots.
Structure size and condition
The raze permit lists the damaged complex at roughly 340,000 square feet and again describes the building as beyond repair, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. That size helps explain why firefighters ended up in defensive mode. Storage buildings are highly compartmentalized, with units that can create stubborn pockets where fire hangs on. Combined with the structural damage and the asbestos finding, this turns the job into a multi-phase cleanup rather than a quick knockdown and teardown.
Tenants and nearby businesses still counting losses
Renters and small businesses that used the facility say they have lost inventory and are still waiting to find out what, if anything, can be recovered. Milwaukee Magazine reported that vintage shop Bandit MKE saw unique stock destroyed after storing items at the site, and the owners said U-Haul told them not to visit the property while the scene remained under investigation. Those customers and merchants are now left to navigate insurance claims and recovery decisions as the cleanup inches forward.
What demolition and asbestos abatement will involve
The City of Milwaukee's Department of Neighborhood Services outlines a Raze Permit Packet and demolition specifications that require contractors to follow strict rules on hazardous materials, bonds and insurance before any mechanical demolition begins. Under the city's guidance, asbestos findings mean licensed abatement crews must remove and properly dispose of affected materials before heavy equipment can touch the building. That sequence likely puts abatement workers on site for days or even weeks before any visible teardown happens, and nearby streets could see intermittent closures while the work is underway. The city's demolition pages spell out the process and what contractors have to do to stay in compliance.
Next steps and unknown timeline
Investigators have not yet released a cause for the fire, and officials have not provided a firm demolition date, according to WISN. The raze permit formally moves the property into the cleanup and abatement phase, but the city still has to finalize abatement plans and lock in contractors before mechanical demolition can start. Neighborhood residents and former renters are being urged to watch for notices from city officials and U-Haul as crews prepare the site for safe removal and disposal of hazardous materials.
