"They tried to make entry:" Neighbors tried to save life of woman killed in fire above Mukwonago restaurant

MUKWONAGO (WITI) -- Mukwonago fire officials are investigating a fatal fire which occurred early Monday, March 23rd. A man tried to save his neighbor's life, but the fire and smoke were too intense. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Julie McKenzie.

Investigators say around 1:20 a.m., the fire department got a call regarding smoke coming from a building on Rochester St. When they arrived on the scene, there were flames showing.

There are two apartments above a restaurant/bar known as "The Fork in the Road." Once the flames were doused, firefighters were able to enter the upstairs apartments through an outside staircase. During a sweep of an apartment, they located McKenzie, who was deceased.

"Initial accounts is smoke inhalation and smoke deprivation," Mukwonago Fire Chief Jeffrey Stien said.

Holly Woolley has lived across from the property for 15 years.

"The bigger apartment was a family in there, but the second apartment, I didn't even know somebody was in there," Woolley said.

It was that family in the larger apartment who called 911. They say their neighbor's smoke detector was going off, so a male member of the family kicked down the door.

"They tried to make entry into there to see if anyone was alive. The smoke had banked down and the heat so they backed out of there," Chief Stien said.

Stien says that male neighbor suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to the hospital. He is expected to be okay.

Mukwonago fire officials and the State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the cause of the fire.

The family living in the apartments above the restaurant has been displaced. The "Fork in the Road" restaurant is closed until further notice.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.