Firefighters hand out smoke detectors after toddler dies in fire near 45th and Center

MILWAUKEE -- Officials with the Milwaukee Fire Department on Sunday, May 8th returned to the area near 45th and Center, where an 18-month-old boy died in a fire on Thursday evening, May 5th.

Firefighters handed out smoke detectors to those in need.

MFD officials say the home that burned in the area on Thursday evening did not have working smoke detectors.

Around 6:00 p.m. Thursday, the home burst into flames.

Neighbors called 911 and tried to kick in the doors to help the occupants out. But as the fire raged, they learned there was still someone inside.

Neighbors told FOX6 News the family's three daughters made it out of the home safely. But their one-and-a-half-year-old son was trapped inside.

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Neighbors said they tried to get the boy, but were pushed back by smoke and the intensity of the fire. They also said the first police officer on the scene charged into the home to try and rescue the boy.

Police and firefighters were unable to save him.

Records from the Department of Neighborhood Services show a 2014 property violation at the home. Those records indicate the owner needed to provide smoke detectors. The property had not received a similar violation since then.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

If you are in need of a smoke detector -- you are asked to call the City of Milwaukee Smoke Detector Hotline — (414) 286-8980.