Goodwill, McDonald's step up to help family displaced by fire at home near 1st and Clarke

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- FOX6 News has learned donations have already come in for eleven adults and six children displaced following a fire near 1st and Clarke that occurred early Monday morning, January 5th.

Firefighters battled flames and bitterly cold temperatures as they worked to put out the fire near 1st and Clarke on Milwaukee's north side. When fire crews arrived on scene just before 4:00 a.m., they had to call for extra units due to the sub-zero temperatures.

Nine fire units, a specialty unit and a medical unit responded to the scene.

Patrick Davis was one of the residents forced out of his apartment.

"I started smelling like, smoke and I looked out the window and I looked up and saw a cloud of smoke, like a cloud of smoke coming. And I'm like, 'Oh my God, it's a fire -- and it's coming from this house,'" said Davis.

Davis says he immediately called 911 and worked to wake up his girlfriend, scoop up their six-month-old son, and try to wake others in the apartment complex.

"I knocked on everybody's door and nobody responded. So that's when the fire people came and got everybody to safety," said Davis.

Fire officials say one child suffered first-degree burns. That child was taken to the hospital for treatment.

For Davis, the fire comes less than two months after he joined the "Face Forward" program, run by the WestCare Foundation. It offers job training to young men who have juvenile criminal records.

"I loved to be doing bad things, like going out in the streets, you know, trying to sell drugs and stuff, trying to impress people," Davis said.

James Ferguson with WestCare says when he heard about the fire, he started calling around for help. He says immediately, both Goodwill and McDonald's offered gift cards for Davis and his family.

"It just lets me know there are still good people out there, you know? People who have a heart of compassion," Ferguson said.

Davis says he's overwhelmed by the donations, but considering his past, he says he's most grateful to be alive.

"The type of stuff that I did, I stopped serving Him. I stopped doing stuff for God and He gave me another chance and too many people don`t get a second chance, man," Davis said.

The Red Cross has set up Davis and his family and others displaced by this fire in a hotel for the time being.

The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation.

Fire officials say there were no working smoke detectors in the home.



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