Cudahy apartment fire, residents displaced: 'Smoke was terrible'

CUDAHY, Wis. - A Cudahy apartment fire Tuesday night forced dozens of senior citizens out of their homes amid freezing temperatures.

The fire department said the fire at Washington Square Apartments, near Packard and Barnard, broke out around 8:30 p.m.

"It was cold out here, freezing," said resident Michael Justin. "All I had on was a shirt – no jacket."

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Smoke and flames could be seen flowing from the third floor of the 60-unit apartment complex, which has roughly 100 residents.

"You knew something was up because the smoke was terrible," said Lola Feller, who said she has lived in the building for 30 years.

"I opened my door and smelled smoke, and that’s it," Justin said. "Then we all came out here and were waiting."

While crews worked to put the fire out, other departments were called in to help residents find shelter.

"All the sudden – boom, boom, boom – on the door, and they said you gotta get out and evacuate," resident John Lewko said. "I am in my pajamas and a pair of slippers."

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A 45-year-old man was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation. No one else was injured.

Firefighters were able to put the fire out and are still investigating the cause.

"Some of them I heard are flooded on the first floor, which is where I am," Feller said.

Cudahy apartment fire

The Red Cross said roughly 65 people were displaced, and a shelter was set up at Holler Park. Officials said it is uncertain when residents will be able to return home.

"The thing is you really don’t know what it’s like until it happens to you," said Feller.

The apartment building's condition was set for evaluation on Wednesday.