Residents of a Milwaukee apartment leapt from balconies and windows and had to be rescued during an early morning May 1 fire.
The apartment, which did not have sprinklers, caught fire around 3 a.m. Six people were rescued by firefighters, and another five people, including three children, were taken to the hospital for injuries from leaping from the building near the intersection of West Fond Du Lace Avenue and North Bourbon Street.
“It just does not need to keep happening this way,” said Fire Chief Aaron Lipski.
The building was across the street from a fire station. Firefighters responded about two minutes after the initial call came in, said Deputy Chief Ron Firnrohr. The fire was considered under control around 3:45 a.m., he said.
Sprinklers were not required in the living spaces for the building, said Jeremy McGovern, a spokesperson for the Department of Neighborhood Services. It did have them in basement storage spaces, which was required, and those were functioning properly.
The city’s sprinkler code is based on state requirements, and officials have said the city has limited options to require them at the local level.
The property passed its most recent fire inspection and is due for its next until December 2026, McGovern said.
The area of the apartment affected by the fire, which includes eight units, will not be habitable until smoke and water damage repairs occur, McGovern said.
The Red Cross is assisting those displaced by the fire, Lipski said.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at: dclarey@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee residents, including kids, leap from apartment fire
Reporting by David Clarey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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