Keith Luko
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man is accused of setting fire to an apartment building on the city's south side last week. Five people, including a child, were hospitalized.
In court:
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged 44-year-old Keith Luko with eight felonies in the case: arson, first-degree reckless injury and six counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
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Luko is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Tuesday.
27th and Loomis
The backstory:
It happened on Fardale Avenue, near 27th and Loomis, on the city's south side. The fire department was called just after 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 16.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they had to rescue "many" people from the second floor – some of whom jumped from the windows. Police said five people, ranging in age from 64 to 9 years old, were hospitalized.
Court filings said damage to the building included black soot, smoke and charring to the door frame of the building's front entryway. The Red Cross said all eight units of the building were left unlivable, meaning an estimated 25 people would be without a home.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the building did not have sprinklers; it was built before Wisconsin law required them.
Residents injured
What they're saying:
According to a criminal complaint, one woman said the smoke alarm went off, and she went to her front door, which was "extremely hot to the touch." She and her family could smell smoke coming from the hallway, which was the only exit from their unit, and retreated to a bedroom. The woman, her daughter and her husband were forced to jump from a window to escape. The child suffered a broken pelvis, and the husband had scratches, bruises and cuts from the fall. The complaint did not note any injuries to the woman.
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Prosecutors said a third resident was admitted to a hospital with severe smoke inhalation, and a fourth was taken to a hospital with lacerations to her legs.
A woman who Luko lived with was also among those who were injured, according to the complaint. She said she was woken up when Luko came in and grabbed a pack of cigarettes. She later heard the fire alarm, went to the living room and saw smoke. She said she had to push out a window screen and "let herself down" from the second-floor apartment. She suffered scrapes and broken ankle.
Surveillance and arrest
Dig deeper:
Investigators spoke to the building's owner, who informed them that the building had exterior surveillance cameras. Court filings said video showed Luko moving items from the basement area to the front door stoop at around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 16.
Surveillance further showed Luko loading what looked like a sleigh with various personal items before the fire, per the complaint. He moved the sleigh to the front sidewalk area and returned to the building. Moments later, he was seen running out the door with a large flame visible behind him. He fled the scene on foot.
After the fire, police were called to the area of 99th and Howard where they found Luko. He said he lived in the apartment building and admitted he started the fire. He said he was "angry about his neighbors smoking marijuana," poured gasoline in the hallway and ignited it with a lighter.
The Source: FOX6 News went to the scene of the fire on the day it happened. Information related to injuries and the investigation is from the Milwaukee Fire Department, Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.