Milwaukee west side fire, heavy smoke kill man, 75
The body of a 75-year-old man was recovered after two homes caught fire on Milwaukee’s west side Monday morning.
It is the seventh fatality from fires in Milwaukee this year, according to the Fire Department.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m., Milwaukee’s fire and police departments received a report of a fully involved structure fire in a home along the 1900 block of North 34th Street, in the Walnut Hill neighborhood of the city’s west side.
Upon arrival, fire crews were informed that an elderly man was unable to escape the building, but rescue efforts with ladders were blocked by heavy smoke and fire, forcing firefighters to retreat and take only defensive operations, according to a Milwaukee Fire Department news release. The body was located hours later.
But as crews tried controlling the fire, flames spread to a home next door, where no injuries were reported. The American Red Cross is assisting three adults from the first home and six adults from the second.
Police said the cause is still under investigation. Fire Department Battalion Chief Thomas Pollock said it is unclear if the first home had a working smoke detector, but fire officials planned to go door-to-door in the neighborhood Tuesday afternoon to hand them out for free.
The department also said in a news release that anyone can arrange for a Milwaukee firefighter to install a smoke detector in their home for free by calling the smoke alarm hotline: 414-286-8980.
Anyone with any information about the fire is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or use the P3 Tips app.