Milwaukee fatal apartment fire; no sprinkler system in building, but why?
No sprinkler system in building in Milwaukee apartment building
There were no sprinklers inside the apartment building at 27th and Highland, where a fire on Sunday, May 11, killed five people.
MILWAUKEE - Firefighters said there were no sprinklers inside the apartment building where a fire killed several people at 27th and Highland in Milwaukee on Sunday, May 11.
Apartment building fire at 27th and Highland, Milwaukee
As of Monday, May 12, five people have died as a result of that fire and about a half-dozen others were hurt.
Why no sprinklers?
What we know:
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the outcome of the fire could have been different had the apartment building had a sprinkler system.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski
"If we had sprinklers in the building, we would have stopped the fire very, very small. We would not have had to have people jumping out of buildings, we would not have had to pull people out of windows, we would not have had to drop people out of hallways to rescue them," Lipski said Sunday, when there were four dead. "We would not have had four fatalities today."
Experts weigh in
What they're saying:
On Monday, FOX6 News spoke with a union that represents fire sprinkler installers. Leaders with that group said those systems save lives.
"This could have been completely avoided if fire sprinklers would have been installed in the building. There would have been no loss of life. There would have been some loss of property, but that can be rebuilt," said Scott Kobb, Sprinkler Fitters Local 183.
Scott Kobb, Sprinkler Fitters
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At the Sprinkler Fitters' training center, apprentices learn the trade of sprinklers and standpipes.
A standpipe is found in many building's stairwells, where firefighters can attach a fire hose and fight the fire from inside the building.
In Sunday's fire, there were neither sprinklers or standpipes.
Burn room in Sprinkler Fitting training center
"Being built in 1968, a building of this size would not have been required to have standpipes or sprinklers. You make absolutely no mistake: that dramatically impacts the survivability in this building once a fire starts," Chief Lipski said.
What state law requires
Dig deeper:
The law requiring sprinklers went into effect a few years after the 27th and Highland building was built. So the apartment building was grandfathered in – exempted from the requirement.
"When you have an incident like that happen, it begs the question if the grandfather clause ought to be revisited," said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
Sprinkler Fitters' training center
The sprinkler fitters said they often install sprinklers in older buildings, even if the law does not require it.
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"It can be done at minimal cost and minimal damage to the existing property. Our guys are really good," Kobb said. "There shouldn’t be a cost on a human life."
Building owner's response:
FOX6 News spoke with building co-owner Geraldine Robinson. She said they are going to rebuild. When asked about the lack of sprinklers, Robinson said they are compliant with code and have passed fire inspections.
City records reveal the building passed a fire inspection this March.
Milwaukee fatal apartment fire; state fire marshal, ATF involved
Milwaukee police with help from the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating a fatal fire that occurred on May 11.
While the building itself doesn't have sprinklers, the garage does. FOX6 is still trying to determine why.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Fire Department, Sprinkler Fitter Union and other FOX6 News reporting.