Fatal Milwaukee fire; residents blame lack of sprinklers
Tenants want answers after fatal Milwaukee apartment fire
Milwaukee tenants say a fatal Saturday apartment fire could have been prevented if the building had sprinklers.
MILWAUKEE - Tenants displaced by a deadly weekend fire are demanding answers, saying the lack of a sprinkler system in their south side apartment building cost lives and left dozens of residents without a home.
What we know:
It happened on Saturday morning, Nov. 8, at an apartment complex near 1st and Layton. The blaze killed a 75-year-old man and sent two others to the hospital.
Neighbors described the fear, confusion and frustration they’ve been left to sort through.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
What they're saying:
"If there were sprinklers in the property, it won’t happen," said tenant Haithem Mohammad, who lives in the building with his pregnant wife. "I feel fear. I’m lost. There's no family, there’s no friends I can rely on and I’m really under pressure right now. I don’t know what to do."
Mohammad was among those forced out after flames tore through the structure. While the cause remains under investigation, tenants say the building’s lack of sprinklers – common in older buildings – left them unprotected.
"In all the apartments that I lived in, it was sprinklers, fire detectors, fire extinguishers… and this is the only building that does not have it," said Mohammed Al Maqqusi, another tenant. "If there was sprinklers this could be prevented."
Dig deeper:
City officials confirmed the building was constructed in 1964, before sprinkler systems were required by law. Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski says the tragedy underscores the need for upgrades in older buildings.
"We do not have a fatality here right now and two other people [injured] if we had a sprinkler," Lipski said.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
The building’s owner declined to comment about why sprinklers were never installed but said plans are being made for tenants to return this week to collect belongings.
In the meantime, residents like Al Maqqusi say they’re focused on rebuilding.
"We’ll be trying to be as strong as we can so we can rebuild what we lost and start over," he said.
"I’m trying to find hope and strength from God," Mohammad added. "I’m praying that we can find an apartment."
The American Red Cross was on scene and assisting residents. Twenty apartment units were impacted, and 14 people were displaced – with the potential for more people.
A shelter is being opened at Holler Park for those impacted.
Milwaukee apartment fire: 1 dead, others injured at 1st and Layton
One person died, and others were injured, in a Milwaukee apartment fire on Saturday morning, Nov. 8.
The Source: The Milwaukee Fire Department sent FOX6 the information. FOX6 crews also went to the scene.