Milwaukee apartment building flood, 120 residents displaced

MILWAUKEE - An apartment building flooded in Milwaukee's Avenues West neighborhood on Saturday, Jan. 20 – displacing more than 100 residents.

It happened at the Historic Lofts on Kilbourn. According to the Milwaukee Fire Department, a burst pipe caused the flooding.

"My son was in the bathroom, and he said he felt like water was coming, and I thought it was a joke," said resident Yasmeen Robertson.

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Water cascaded down stairwells and rushed through doorways inside the building near 23rd and Kilbourn.

"It was actually coming up the steps, probably about a foot and a half to two feet," said MFD's Thomas Sells. "The basement is probably the area that’s filled up the most."

Robertson and her family call one of the apartment building's basement units home.

"At the time, my kids were sleeping, so I had to wake everybody, and everybody was just in shock," she said. "I lost everything, there was nothing I could save."

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The power and gas utilities had to be shut off, forcing everyone – no matter what floor they lived on – to evacuate.

"It’s going to take a little time to get everything squared away," Sells said.

The Red Cross estimated 120 residents were displaced; a shelter was set up at Clinton Rose Senior Center – near MLK and Burleigh. MFD said the building has 99 units and approximately 200-250 total residents. 

"The good thing is no injuries," said Sells. "There are people displaced, which is a sad thing. We’ll get them to a good place, and they’ll be able to be restored here shortly."

FOX6 News reached out to Greystone Property Management, which owns the building, but did not immediately hear back.