Milwaukee fire: Woman charged, vacant warehouse destroyed

SKYFOX: Massive fire near 32nd and Hampton

Drone video captured a bird's-eye view of the ongoing firefight after a five-alarm fire near 32nd and Hampton in Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE - Prosecutors said a woman's cigarette is what sparked the five-alarm fire that destroyed a vacant warehouse on Milwaukee's north side Wednesday.

In court:

Ellen Stevens, 22, is charged with negligent handling of burning material, a misdemeanor. She's scheduled to make her initial court appearance next week.

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32nd and Hampton fire

The backstory:

Firefighters were called to the scene near 32nd and Hampton just before 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20. When they got there, they found flames coming from all four floors of the vacant warehouse.

The southwest corner of the building collapsed during the firefight. No injuries were reported.

Fire near 32nd and Hampton, Milwaukee

Firefighters were still at the scene more than 24 hours later, looking out for hot spots and blocking off streets around the property. MFD Chief Aaron Lipski said the building was at risk of collapse.

Fire near 32nd and Hampton, Milwaukee

Fire investigation

Dig deeper:

Investigators said the building did not have gas or electric utilities in service, making the chances of a fire starting on its own "pretty slim."

According to a criminal complaint, surveillance video showed four people – including Stevens – walking through a nearby parking lot at around 4:20 p.m. and leaving the area at around 5:40 p.m., when a witness told the group they were on private property and asked them to leave. The fire started roughly 30 minutes later.

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Another witness called police about the fire late that night. Court filings said the witness reported that Stevens shared Snapchat photos and videos of herself inside the building with a caption stating: "I may or may not have lit the bando on fire today on accident." She also posted a photo of the firefight with the caption "devastating."

What they're saying:

Once in custody, prosecutors said Stevens admitted to trespassing and exploring the vacant warehouse with the group of people she was seen on camera with. She also admitted to smoking a cigarette and "carelessly discarding it" through an opening in the roof. 

Ellen Stevens

Stevens said they were making their way out of the building when they saw a pile of fallen debris smoking and with visible embers, the complaint said. She said they stomped on it and thought they put it out, until she learned that the structure had caught fire and posted on Snapchat.

Building demolition

What's next:

Court filings said the building, owned by Bishop's Creek Community Development Corp., has been deemed a total loss with an estimated value of $975,800.

It has been ordered to be demolished due to the risk of collapse. Officials with the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services said once the building is down, it will take about two weeks to finish cleaning the site. The area will remain fenced off to keep people out of the work zone.