Milwaukee U-Haul fire: Tenants, staff sift through belongings

MILWAUKEE - People at a Milwaukee U-Haul facility were on the move Saturday, pushing carts and helping each other empty out storage units after the second fire in less than three months.

What they're saying:

"A lot of soot, dirt – mostly soot," said tenant Denis Hughes. "This could have been worse. A lot of stuff – pretty much salvageable, most of it."

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After Monday's fire, Hughes sorted through his belongings as workers helped him move everything.

"I've been putting it off all week to come here," he said. "I may come back this week and just move it all."

Both tenants and staff are experiencing a roller coaster of emotions after the two-alarm fire. A U-Haul spokesperson said the fire damaged 25 storage units, and others suffered water, smoke and soot damage.

"It's heartbreaking for us when something like this happens," said Benjamin Milison, who runs the building. "People trust us with their prized possessions. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and we try to do our best and do right by that and go ahead and help them."

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Milison said the latest fire has been hard on him and his staff, which comes after a five-alarm blaze at the Walker's Point facility in January. He said they still don't know what caused the fires.

"We're just trying to figure out what happened so we can go ahead and fix those problems," he said.

Dig deeper:

For now, Milison said staff is doing their part to help tenants – free of charge. He also said he contacted a veteran who needed help getting to his unit and will be helping him move his belongings wherever he wants.

The Milwaukee Fire Department said both fires remain under investigation.

Editor's note: This story was updated with a correction.