Milwaukee house fire difficult to fight because of clutter
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A home on Milwaukee's south side goes up in flames on Thursday evening, February 21st. Firefighters say they had a tough time battling the fire because of all the junk and disorder inside the building.
"We had fire in the basement, first floor and second floor. I was able to talk to an occupant who had evacuated. He told me the fire started in the basement and he believed everybody to be out of the building," said Battalion Chief David Votsis.
That's a good thing because the fire spread quickly. Firefighters were able to do a search and rescue check. But then, the crews had to pull out because of danger.
"It was an extremely significant problem, I would say it would be defined as a hoarding situation. It was an unbelievable amount of belongings on all three floors; a maze-like configuration inside," said Votsis.
The firefighters had to manuever around the home in zero visibility -- essentially feeling their way through the rooms.
"We could not get the hose lines over and around the clutter to get it in the proper position to put out the fire and it was in the walls, it was in the ceiling," said Votsis.
FOX6 News contacted the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services. The home that caught fire has never been identified as a hoarding home. But the city has identified this problem in other homes.
The people who lived in the burned-out home are being helped by the Red Cross. As for the cause of the fire, investigators have not determined one yet. They say it could be a while before they find the cause of the fire because there is so much debris to sift through.