Milwaukee apartment fire near 13th and Layton; residents seek help

MILWAUKEE - Neighbors on Milwaukee's south side have a GoFundMe set up after fire destroyed their apartments on New Year's Eve. 

Milwaukee apartment fire

What we know:

Hours before the big countdown to 2026, family fun was overtaken by fire on S. 13th Street – just south of Layton Avenue. 

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Julian Santiago is one of about a dozen people who are not without a home. He asked to have his face blurred out of fear of social judgment and privacy as an apartment fire victim. 

What they're saying:

"It’s hard, it’s hard to have something and in a couple minutes everything’s gone," Santiago said. "Everybody was sad as soon as we saw the house on fire. We thought it was going to be something simple; that the fire department would take it out right away. But as soon as we saw the flames coming from the roof, we knew we lost everything."

Santiago told FOX6 News that as the smoke thickened, he made the tough decision to leave some of his keys behind, including a set that belonged to two of his vehicles. 

"All the hard work we had to make our house nice and all that, it’s something that’s sad. But we got to keep going. At least we are alive," Santiago said. 

Fire investigation

Dig deeper:

Milwaukee fire officials said the fire started just before 8 p.m. on the building's second floor. They said everyone in the building made it out safe – and nobody was hurt. 

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The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

The American Red Cross is assisting one family.