At least four people are dead after a major fire engulfed a Milwaukee apartment complex on Sunday.
The fire broke out at a four-story, 85-unit apartment complex in Milwaukee’s Concordia neighborhood just before 8 a.m. Sunday, CNN reports. Investigators say at least four people are dead and dozens more are hurt, including four who were critically injured, local outlet WISN reports.
More than 30 fire trucks responded, and fire crews rescued at least 30 people from the building. Some residents were even forced to jump out of second-floor windows to escape. The Red Cross is now assisting the hundreds who have been displaced from their homes.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials believe the blaze may have started on one of the upper floors. The local fire and police departments are investigating the cause, along with the state fire marshal.
The apartment complex did not have working sprinklers. That’s because it was built in 1974, before sprinklers were legally required, according to WTMJ.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the deadly fire could’ve been prevented if the building had sprinklers.
“The Builders Association in the United States, in the state of Wisconsin, and the city of Milwaukee has way more money to spend on such issues than does your local fire chief,” Lipski said, according to WTMJ.
“In 1974 when it became law to sprinkler a building like this, folks, it’s called the grandfather clause. Nobody was required to go back and make that building fire-safe. And you result with this today,” he added.
“We have fought this fight for many, many years across the United States. Of course, it would be an expensive proposition, but I have four fatalities here today. I’m not sure what people think is more expensive, right now.”
Lipski said the fire even began “blowing down” a stairwell at his firefighters.
“Our firefighters, ascending from the second floor to the third floor, were fighting fire blowing down the stairwell at them. If you know anything about fire, you know it doesn’t normally travel downward,” he explained.
Resident Tony Panosian recounted knocking on neighbors’ doors to alert them once he realized there was a blaze.
“I went up to the third floor, I smelled smoke. I grabbed the fire extinguisher. I attempted to put it out, but it was totally engulfed,” Panosian told Fox 6. “[I] started knocking on doors to get people out.”
Reisdent James Rubinstein said he escaped the blaze with his cat.
“There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack,” he told Fox 6. “[I] jumped to the ground floor and ran out.”
