Milwaukee fatal fire; 9-year-old dies, crews urge safety
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee fire officials say a 9-year-old girl died from injuries suffered in an apartment fire on the city's northwest side Sunday, Nov. 19.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified the girl on Monday as Aria Jacque.
Emergency responders were dispatched to N. Servite Drive around 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The first crews on the scene found smoke coming from the second floor of a two-story, eight-unit apartment building.
A battalion chief said another person in the fire, a woman in her 60s, remains in critical condition.
Firefighters pushed the fire back and then located and removed the two. Both received immediate medical attention from paramedics. The female was taken to Froedtert Hospital, while Jacque died from her injuries after arriving at Children’s Hospital.
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While the flames are gone, the grief is just beginning for those who live on Servite.
Officials said the unit had extreme hoarding conditions and there were no smoke alarms sounding during the fire.
"That stuff all gets in the way of trying to find someone," North Shore fire chief Robert Whitaker said.
Milwaukee fatal fire; 9-year-old girl dies, woman hurt
Milwaukee fire officials say a 9-year-old girl died from injuries suffered in an apartment fire on the city's northwest side Sunday, Nov. 19.
The lack of working smoke alarms is a problem battalion chief Brian Moore said is too common. Sunday's fire is one of three the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to within an hour of each other. No one died in the other two fires, but people did need to be rescued.
"That indicates to me that possibly smoke detectors aren’t being used," Moore said.
Moore said, typically, they respond to three fires a week. This past week, those numbers more than doubled.
"In this last, we’re dealing with eight or so," he said.
The battalion chief partially blames the colder weather. As people find ways to heat their homes ahead of Thanksgiving, he has some reminders.
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"We suggest that everyone cleans their oven and stove prior to using it and do not let cooking be unattended," Moore said.
There's still an active investigation into what caused the fatal fire, but city leaders plan to provide an update on Tuesday.
In the meantime, fire crews are urging people not to take smoke detectors for granted.
"Smoke detectors, smoke detectors, smoke detectors," Whitaker said.
If you need a smoke alarm, you can contact the 24-hour, bilingual Milwaukee Fire Department Smoke Alarm Hotline at 414-286-8980.