Firefighters battle more than flames during Milwaukee's unrest, say "It's certainly nothing we can't handle"

Firefighters battle more than flames during Milwaukee`s unrest, say “It`s certainly nothing we can`t handle”

Firefighters battle more than flames during Milwaukee`s unrest, say "It`s certainly nothing we can`t handle"

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee firefighters deserve a lot of credit from this past weekend. They had to battle more than just the flames -- they were also in the path of gunfire and flying bricks.

Milwaukee firefighters battle house fire near 41st and Burleigh

As the sun began to rise Monday morning, Milwaukee firefighters were back at the scene of this weekend's riots. This time, they were putting out a house fire near 41st and Burleigh.

"Most of these firefighters have been up 24, 48 hours fighting fires," said Battalion Chief Kevin Hafemann of the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Hafemann said it is too early to tell whether Monday morning's fire is connected to the unrest that has already charred parts of the Sherman Park neighborhood. People protesting the Saturday officer-involved fatal shooting of Sylville Smith set a BP gas station on fire as well as an O'Reilly Auto Parts store, a BMO Harris Bank branch as well as other business and multiple vehicles.

Milwaukee firefighters face challenges during unrest

"And that's why we use crews from all over the city, some of the shared services from neighboring communities," Hafemann said.

Many times, those crews were unable to get to the flames. Instead, they were forced to shield themselves from objects being thrown -- and guns being fired.

Milwaukee firefighters face challenges during unrest

"When we look at the events of the last couple of days, we are preparing a contingency plan so that we do have city-wide coverage for all of the citizens of Milwaukee," said Deputy Chief Terry Lintonen of the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Lintonen is now looking ahead to Monday night -- in case chaos breaks out for a third evening in a row. He said his department and Milwaukee police will meet several times to discuss how best to serve and protect the community while also keeping the firefighters safe.

"It's certainly nothing we can't handle and we haven't trained and prepared for," Lintonen said.

Lintonen did not know how many fire crews have responded to the Sherman Park area this past weekend. He just said it was a lot.