Red Cross assists Willow Terrace Apartments residents after 2-alarm blaze

MFD Battalion Chief Joseph Hageman Jr.

MILWAUKEE -- Firefighters battled a two-alarm fire and Mother Nature at an apartment building near 23rd and Layton in Milwaukee Sunday afternoon, April 14.

It happened around 3:15 p.m.

Residents of the Willow Terrace Apartments building were out of their homes -- as heavy snow fell -- while firefighters investigated and worked to extinguish the flames.

"It's important to leave quickly, so sometimes you don't have to get jackets or a coat, and so that's why they're out in the elements," said MFD Battalion Chief Joseph Hageman Jr.

Erilysbeth Arroyo

FOX6 News was told the fire was contained to one unit, but smoke did make its way to the halls. Through a translator, Daniel Saez received the bad news. The fire broke out in his apartment.

"We're going to support him," said Erilysbeth Arroyo, translator. "When he arrived here to his apartment, the firefighters were already here, so he doesn't even know what exactly -- how it started."

As residents, including a cat, huddled together while heavy snow fell, firefighters worked amid the elements to extinguish the blaze.

"We were able to lay these hose lines without any injury. We just really want to get ahead of it, to confine that fire, which we did today. We were able to confine it to one apartment. That minimizes damage and not as many people are displaced now," said Hageman Jr.

American Red Cross volunteers were on scene to help those in need.