MILWAUKEE — Three people were killed in an overnight fire at a duplex near the intersection of N 33rd St & W Fairmount Ave in Milwaukee on Wednesday morning, drawing a wide scale response from the Milwaukee Fire Department.
An initial wave of firefighters rushed to the scene at 4:30 a.m. on March 29, per TMJ4. The fire, which was sourced in the home’s basement and was potentially connected to utilities like heaters and water boilers located in this area, was already overwhelming by the time Milwaukee fire crews were alerted and responded.
The City of Milwaukee’s Fire Chief, Aaron Lipski held a media briefing from the scene at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. It was confirmed that three victims — 87, 57 & 53 — all died in the fire. Final details are unconfirmed, but Chief Lipski had reason to believe the victims were a father and his two sons. Below is Chief Lipski’s response to being asked about the toll fires like this one have on Milwaukee firefighters:
“These are terrible for the firefighters, but that’s absolutely nothing compared with what the family is going through right now.”
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Ultimately, the fire drew at least 62 firefighters to the scene including four ladder crews, three paramedic crews, a heavy rescue company, four chief officers from the North Shore Fire Department, support crews and a fire investigation unit.
The building was deemed a total loss, but by investigating the interior before a structural collapse forced them out, Milwaukee fire officials learned that the one smoke alarm they found inside the home wasn’t working.
Chief Lipski said there is no reason to believe this fire was suspicious in nature and that there were no clear code violations for the building besides issues with the smoke alarm. He used this as an opportunity to highlight the Milwaukee Fire Department’s smoke alarm installation program. Click here for more details.
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