Milwaukee McDonald's fire, building vacant near 14th and Burnham
MILWAUKEE - An old McDonald's went up in flames on Milwaukee's south side late Tuesday night.
It happened around 11:45 p.m. near 14th and Burnham. Milwaukee firefighters arrived to flames coming through the roof of the vacant building.
"Oh my God! There’s a fire by the old McDonalds," resident Guadalupe Estrada said. "The fire was so bad that I thought that we probably had to get evacuated."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
While stunned, she was able to capture the fire crews working to put out the flames on video.
"After a while the fire escalated so high, so bad that I even saw the firefighters go up the ladder to prepare everything to get everything up high," Estrada said. "It was very scary."
The Milwaukee Fire Department said crews had to cut boards off windows and take down fencing that surrounded the old McDonald's. Firefighters used aerial ladders to get water on the fire.
"By the time we got here, it was fully involved," said MFD Deputy Chief Travis Jones. "We had to remove all of the boards from the exterior of the actual structure, and by the time we got boards and things like that off, the fire obviously continued to grow."
MFD said no one was injured. The two-alarm fire fight lasted more than two hours.
"We took this to a second alarm fire, upgraded to bring in more resources," Jones said. "Make sure we had the right amount of water to put the fire out. We put a couple of our aerial ladders in the air and mark what we consider a defensive fire because of the size of the fire."
The building had been vacant since they built a new McDonald's just across the street.
For now, the charred ashes have Estrada reminiscing.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
"It's sad, you know," Estrada said. "It's my childhood McDonald’s for me to see that happen for me, it's sad."
Crews are still investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at 414-935-7360; to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 tips app.