5 Killed, 200 Displaced In Mother’s Day Fire At Milwaukee Complex

MILWAUKEE, WI — Five people are dead after a fire tore through a four-story apartment building in Milwaukee’s Concordia neighborhood early on Mother’s Day, officials said.

The blaze destroyed the 85-unit building near 27th Street and Highland Boulevard, displacing an estimated 200 people. Four victims died at the scene, and a fifth later died at a hospital, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Residents jumped from windows as flames engulfed the building. Firefighters rescued about 30 people, some using ladder trucks, others crawling through smoke-filled hallways to reach the trapped, Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said.

The building, constructed in 1968, did not have a sprinkler system. “If we had sprinklers, the fire would’ve been contained quickly. People wouldn’t have had to jump out of windows,” Lipski said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at Holler Park on South 6th Street to assist displaced residents with food, water, and support. A reception center was initially set up at Bethesda Church.

Emergency crews from multiple municipalities responded to the scene.

“We stand with our Milwaukee community in this time of grief and healing,” the Milwaukee Fire Department said. Officials urged anyone affected to call 1-800-RED-CROSS for assistance.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.