84th and Mill fire, Milwaukee residents forced from homes
MILWAUKEE - A fire forced Milwaukee families from their apartment complex late Thursday night, July 4. Now, they're looking for answers.
The Milwaukee Fire Department said it is still investigating what caused the three-alarm fire near 84th and Mill.
"It's just wet. The stairs feel pretty stable, at least what I can tell," said Nijee Taylor. "Boy is that going to be one big insurance claim."
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Taylor spent Friday helping his mother search for belongings through the debris.
The fire affected 18 apartments. The Red Cross came in to help, but residents said they're struggling to get answers from property managers about what's next.
Apartment fire near 84th and Mill, Milwaukee
"I don't know how we are going to do this," said Iona Moore.
With a baby on the way, Moore's family said they have been unable to get into their home to get things out. The doors are nailed shut.
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FOX6 called the owner, Berrada Properties, to get some answers. They did not pick up, and messages have not been returned.
For now, hope is all these families are holding onto.
Statement from Ald. Mark Chambers:
Last night tragedy struck the 2nd District in the form of a fire at an apartment complex near 84th Street and Mill Road. While several families have been displaced, thankfully only one person was hurt and no one lost their life as part of this incident that could have resulted in a much more dire outcome.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Deputy Fire Chief Travis Jones confirmed there were fireworks in the area. Even without the Deputy Chief’s confirmation, it was abundantly clear to anyone nearby that fireworks were being set off at an unacceptable rate. And these aren’t your basic bottle rockets or sparklers, but rather high-grade explosive fireworks.
As a reminder, the use, possession, or sale of fireworks is illegal in the City of Milwaukee. Full stop. That said, we have the problem where people can travel outside city limits, purchase what they want, and come back to Milwaukee and use them in improper and dangerous ways. This problem is also not new. Every year seemingly more and more people throughout the city partake in firework celebrations outside of those sanctioned by the city, which can lead to injury, destruction of property and decreased quality of life for neighbors. Perhaps the Legislature should revisit the regulation of these commercial, high-grade explosives. If no action is taken, it will only be a matter of time before these fireworks cause irreparable damage.
We must do better and be more vigilant in the future, because the simple truth is firework related injuries and damages are 100% preventable.