A five-alarm fire ripped through a U-Haul storage facility Wednesday, Jan. 21.
The cause of the fire, and the extent of its damage, are still being determined. Fire crews remained on scene Thursday, Jan. 22 on fire watch and nearby roads remained closed to traffic more than 12 hours after the fire broke out.
Here’s what we know, and don’t know, about the incident.
When did the fire at the U-Haul facility start?
A caller first reported the fire a little after 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21. By 11:11 p.m., the bulk of the fire had been extinguished, a Milwaukee Fire Department spokesperson said.
The cold and wind, along with slippery conditions, made the fire more challenging to put out, the department said in a news release Jan. 22.
MFD elevated the incident to a five-alarm fire just after 10 p.m.
What caused the fire?
It’s unclear. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Jan. 21 fire was also not the first serious fire at the facility. A three-alarm fire was reported at the same building in 2016.
How long did it take to extinguish the fire?
Firefighters worked for several hours to extinguish the fire. The first crew arrived around 6:44 p.m. The bulk of the fire had been extinguished about 4½ hours later around 11:11 p.m.
Crews remained on scene overnight however on watch in case the fire started anew.
What is a five-alarm fire?
Fires are ranked in severity by the number of alarms called for them – from one to five – with five being the highest. Each alarm tier designates the number and type of apparatus dispatched to address a particular fire. Five-alarm fires are typically rare and entail a huge response.
In the case of the Jan. 21 fire, a total of 37 different units from various local departments responded to the incident, said Cheryl Finger, the Milwaukee Fire Department’s administrative services coordinator. Those units included several fire engines and ladder trucks, but an exact count was not immediately available.
Was anyone hurt in the U-Haul facility fire?
No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported, MFD officials said.
How many five-alarms fires have there been in Milwaukee?
An exact figure on five-alarm fires was not immediately available, but they are uncommon.
However, Milwaukee experienced one such fire in May 2025. In that case, five people died in a Mother’s Day fire at the Highland Court Apartments, 2725 W. Highland Blvd. In that fire, approximately 30 people were rescued by ladders or dragged out by firefighters.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What we know, and don’t know, about the Milwaukee U-Haul facility fire
Reporting by Steven Martinez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
