MILWAUKEE — Five people were rescued from apartment windows after a fire ripped through a Milwaukee apartment building early Sunday morning.
The fire broke out just before 1 a.m. at a three-story apartment building 14th Street and West Highland Avenue.
When Milwaukee firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire on the second floor and several residents trapped at windows waiting for help. Crews rescued five people while evacuating everyone else from the building.
The flames eventually spread into the building’s third floor, prompting firefighters to call a second alarm to bring in additional crews.
Fire officials say working smoke detectors gave residents an early warning, helping many get out before conditions worsened.
No one was hurt, including firefighters.
As crews worked to extinguish the fire, several fights broke out among people gathered outside the building, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.
Milwaukee County Transit System buses were brought in to provide temporary shelter for as many as 50 displaced residents while the American Red Cross, Milwaukee Police Department and We Energies assisted at the scene.
Firefighters had the blaze under control shortly after 1:15 a.m.
Investigators are still working to determine what sparked the flames.
