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Milwaukee apartment fire; firefighters face icy conditions
More than 50 people were displaced after a Sunday evening apartment fire near 105th and Lancaster in Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE - The American Red Cross of Wisconsin is continuing to help more than 50 people displaced by a Milwaukee apartment fire as firefighters face dangerous winter conditions while responding to a surge in calls.
What we know:
The fire happened Sunday evening near 105th and Lancaster. One person was taken to the hospital, and dozens of residents were forced from their homes as crews worked for hours in bitter cold temperatures.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the department responded to 32 fires between 8 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Monday, with more than a dozen involving buildings, including apartment complexes.
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"It’s process and procedure, process and proper preparation that’s going to prevent these freezes," said Lipski.
Lipski said winter weather significantly increases risks for firefighters, from icy ladders to snow-covered roofs, while slowing response times and on-scene operations.
"You might imagine crawling up on ladders, water spray around them now freezing. Going up on roofs, they have snow and ice on top of them, the risk profile just dramatically increases," said Lipski.
Dig deeper:
Snow and ice also affect how quickly crews can respond and evacuate residents safely, he said.
"On our operations, everything is just slower. Especially if you have slick streets, we have to travel that much slower so we can get there safely," he said.
Fire officials said the largest impact from the recent fires was at the Timmerman Terrace Apartments near 105th Street and Lancaster Avenue, where dozens of residents were displaced.
Andre Jones said he left his apartment around 1 p.m. with his children and did not return until late that night, when firefighters were still on scene.
"I’ve paid the security deposit, the rent to move in, I had to pay rent on the 5th of this month, so altogether it came out to be around five thousand dollars," said Jones.
The Milwaukee Fire Department said crews remained on scene for hours because cold water used to extinguish the fire created heavy steam in the frigid air, making it difficult to confirm the fire was fully out. Thermal imaging cameras and additional personnel were brought in to assist.
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Big picture view:
Lipski said extreme weather takes a toll on firefighters year-round, whether conditions are hot or cold.
"The wear and tear on the body is similar, you might not see it, but it’s similar to working in extreme heat," said Lipski.
The Milwaukee Fire Department also noted the building did not have a sprinkler system installed.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.