South side mother mourns son lost in fire
Firefighters canvass area checking smoke alarms
It was the little things that made Rafael Gonzalez happy. His mother, Norma Garcia, dedicated her life to making sure his smile never faded.
He was the first in line to hit the piñatas at parties and welcomed everyone with a hug.
“My son was such a happy kid,” Garcia said. “We laughed, cried and prayed together. He was my life.”
Gonzalez, 25, died Saturday morning following a residential fire in the 3100 block of South 15th Place near West Oklahoma Avenue, the fifth death due to a house fire in Milwaukee and the fourth on the near south side.
Gonzalez — who was on the autism spectrum — was found lying in bed with his teddy bears, according to reports.
Firefighters found no smoke detectors in the home, a common trend that worries officials in Milwaukee.
“We are five in this year, we are not even through the first quarter,” Milwaukee Fire Department Acting Chief Aaron Lipski said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “For certain, three of those five had no working smoke detectors.”
In 2020 there were six fatalities due to house fires in Milwaukee.
The cause of the fire is still undetermined and under investigation. Officials believe the fire started in the kitchen of the second-floor duplex. A cast-iron radiant floor heater covered by numerous items was found in the residence, according to a report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Garcia was grocery shopping at El Rey Supermarket when a neighbor called her at 9 a.m. informing her that her home was on fire.
“She was a single mother and he was her only son,” said Anable Aranda, a close family friend. “She worked so hard to give Rafael a happy life.”
Garcia and Gonzalez lived in the duplex for 12 years and were getting ready to move to a new home by April 1.
“He loved everyone and was a huge football fan, he loved the Green Bay Packers,” Aranda said. “He was a lovely kid.”
On Monday afternoon, firefighters with the Milwaukee Fire Department canvassed the neighborhood on South 15th Street to make sure residents had properly working smoke detectors.
“We cannot do this alone,” Lipski said. “We cannot beat a smoke alarm working in a home. If we can get these in every occupancy, we would be leaps ahead of where we are.”
Anyone in need of a smoke alarm can call the Smoke Alarm Hotline at 414-286-8980 to arrange for a Milwaukee firefighter to visit your home and deliver an alarm free of charge.