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Milwaukee apartments evacuated, still boarded up 1 week later

By
Housing
Published September 30, 2026 9:28 PM CDT
Published September 30, 2026 9:28 PM CDT

The Brief

    • Dozens remain displaced one week after an apartment building emergency evacuation in Milwaukee.
    • Property security reported seeing no workers attempting to fix the two boarded-up buildings.
    • Police have been called to the properties 131 times this year.

MILWAUKEE - It has been one week since 40 people were displaced after a Milwaukee apartment building emergency evacuation.

Last week, the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services shut down the two apartment buildings at 23rd and Michigan due to electrical and fire alarm safety issues.

Buildings boarded up

The backstory:

Jeffery Ben works as security.

"It doesn’t look good to me at all," Ben said. "It’s just so sad. And you know how hard it is to find somewhere else to stay."

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Last week, people who live there were given quick notice to get out after DNS said the electrical and fire alarm system were tampered with, and that it was unsafe to live there. Ben has been working security since Monday and has not seen any progress.

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Milwaukee apartments evacuated; electrical, fire alarm safety issues
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Milwaukee apartments evacuated; electrical, fire alarm safety issues

Dozens of residents had to be evacuated from two apartment buildings in Milwaukee on Wednesday due to issues with the electrical system and fire alarm system.

When asked if he had seen workers come to work on the building at all, Ben said, "No, no I haven’t."

Apartment ownership

Dig deeper:

Records show the properties were owned by S2 Real Estate, a company owned by Sam Stair. He is a local landlord accused of intentionally renting properties to drug dealers. Investigators have not said if that is the case here, but Milwaukee police said they have been called to the buildings 131 times this year.

Now the properties are owned by Smart Asset Reality. DNS said the management has not applied for the necessary permits to achieve compliance.

What's next:

As for the next steps, DNS said first it will evaluate the owner's willingness to bring the buildings up to code. Then, the property would be inspected monthly with a fee.

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FOX6 News reached out to Smart Asset Realty for an update on the situation but has not heard back. FOX6 News is also waiting to hear back from Community Advocates, the organization that was helping people impacted, if folks are using those resources.

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Christina Van Zelst and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.

The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Jeffery Ben, the Department of Neighborhood Services, public records, and Milwaukee Police.

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