Milwaukee U-Haul storage facility fire; tenants scramble to salvage items
Look inside fire-damaged U-Haul storage facility
FOX6 is getting our first-hand look into the U-Haul storage facility that caught fire just three weeks ago.
MILWAUKEE - Tenants are gradually returning to their Walker’s Point storage facility weeks after a massive fire tore through the property, leaving smoke damage, debris and uncertainty about what can be saved.
What we know:
Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze in late January at the U-Haul complex near Barclay and Orchard. Renters are being allowed back in, trying to sort through ruined inventory while making plans for what comes next.
"It’s more of the back end: Us selling online, us selling at markets, our overstock sales might be affected," said Liz Kiesling, co-owner of Bandit MKE.
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Kiesling said storing merchandise is essential to the vintage clothing business. While Building H saw the worst fire damage, she said conditions in Building D remain difficult.
"The building isn’t very habitable, it’s very smokey and the air quality is bad, so spending time in there, I can handle about 15 minutes and I got to go," said Kiesling.
She walked through three units in Building D, packed with thousands of pieces of clothing she estimates carry six figures in retail value.
What they're saying:
"There’s nothing we can throw into the washing machine, so we’ll have to get them professionally cleaned," said Kiesling.
Bandit MKE also rents a unit in Building H, but Kiesling said she does not expect those items will be recoverable.
Another renter, Erin Eigenberger, has a locker in that same building. Inside are belongings from her former apartment, including items passed down from her mother.
"I really have no idea what’s going to happen to my stuff," said Eigenberger. "My mom passed away a little over a year ago. It was just stuff, but it was part of my life and I don’t know how I’m ever going to get it back."
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Video shows the unit still sealed and blocked by debris.
"You think you’re going to always have these pieces of those memories," Eigenberger said. "And the shock of realizing that they don’t exist anymore – it’s really hard to figure out how to grieve that again."
Dig deeper:
The Milwaukee Fire Department is leading the investigation. The department did not respond with any updates.
Some tenants noted that U-Haul is covering rent for this month. Requests for additional information from the company about the future of the buildings were not returned.
Milwaukee U-Haul storage facility fire; crews battle 5-alarm blaze
Multiple Milwaukee firefighters responded to a large commercial fire Wednesday night, Jan. 21, near Barclay and Orchard at a U-Haul Moving & Storage facility in Walker’s Point, with crews working to contain the flames.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.