Fire destroys home in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood

MILWAUKEE - A fire destroyed a home in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood on Saturday morning, Sept. 28.

Denise and Kevin Escher were sound asleep until about 6:30 a.m.

Behind the Airbnb they were staying at, a home on Hillcrest, near Ellen Street, was on fire.

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"Open the drapes and all of a sudden saw all these flames," said Denise Escher. "Saw this house engulfed in huge flames and the wind was blowing, and it was kind of scary."

The Milwaukee Fire Department says when crews got there, the fire was showing on all floors.

So firefighters fought it from outside the building due to the size of the fire, until 7 a.m. when the fire was brought under control.

Courtesy: Jan Cross

Later in the morning, around 10 a.m., firefighters returned when smoke started to pick up again.

Neighbors say the home was under construction, and no one was living there.

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"The outside was all done, it was just the windows, it was just a shell inside," said Richard Cling who lives nearby.

Crews working to extinguish the fire

The homes nearby weren't damaged, as some neighbors say the wind helped keep the flames from spreading to nearby houses.

"We just feel terrible that it happened. It was almost done," added Richard.

The fire department says no one was hurt in the fire. The cause is still under investigation.