"Lit up the whole street:" Man found dead on property after suspicious fire in Hales Corners
HALES CORNERS -- Firefighters responded to a house fire in Hales Corners -- and later found the body of a man inside the charred wreckage of the building.
Emergency responders were first dispatched to the home near 124th and Edgerton around 4:30 a.m. on Monday, July 31st. Firefighters from Hales Corners, Greendale, Franklin, New Berlin and Greenfield assisted in bringing the fire under control -- with flames so high, they stretched far beyond the treetops.
The fire was so intense, the wind carried ash and soot from the scene to neighbors' homes -- two houses away.
"It lit up the whole street," Victoria Bajanen said.
Bajanen lives across the street, and woke up around 4:30 a.m., watching helplessly as the home burned.
"I heard the crackling. It was so loud I thought they were spraying the water on it, but they hadn't gotten the water on it yet," Bajanen said.
Jack Ketter lives two houses down, and found chunks of ash in his backyard.
"There's some on the roof. Other smaller pieces. The neighbor had some in their patio," Ketter said.
Hales Corners house fire
Fatal fire in Hales Corners
Fire officials determined the cause of the fire was suspicious -- and requested police assistance.
After Hales Corners police conducted a sweep of the property and discovered a second structure on the property in a hazardous condition, a check at that structure revealed the presence of a deceased man.
"I had some feelings and I sat there...and it just seemed like..." Bajanen said.
She remembered the victim as kind.
"We actually bought a trailer from him last summer. He was very nice," Bajanen said. "His car wasn't there, so we thought nobody was home. We hoped nobody was home."
Hales Corners house fire
Police requested additional assistance from the State Fire Marshal's Office, the Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Fatal fire in Hales Corners
Fatal fire in Hales Corners
Hales Corners house fire
Officials say the specific cause and manner of the fire cannot be disclosed as it is part of an active investigation. The identity and cause of death of the deceased male is yet to be determined.
More information on this case may be made available by officials on Tuesday.