Hampton Avenue fire, Milwaukee firefighters sustain injuries

MILWAUKEE - Four Milwaukee firefighters were hurt while responding to a fire Wednesday, Dec. 6.

Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said two firefighters are on leave after they were injured in the fire, and two others have minor burns. The two with minor burns remain on duty.

Just before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters responded to a fire at The Fountains apartment complex on Hampton.

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Fire officials said the fire started on the first floor, but quickly turned into a two-alarm fire.

"We had some concerns obviously about the occupancy and number of people that are living in the home," assistant chief Schuyler Belott said. "[The] fire grew, got a little out of our hands as we did those primary searches. We had firefighters withdraw from the building just to kind of get a reset at that time."

The Fountains apartment complex

Marshall Hemphill lives nearby and said when he saw the fire, his instincts kicked in. He said he helped rescue a woman and her baby from the fire.

"There was a lot of smoke coming out off this side of the building over here until it spread all the way down the other end," Hemphill said. "We jumped up there on the second floor and grabbed her and her baby before the fire department got here."

All occupants were accounted for, but more than 30 of them were displaced due to the fire. The American Red Cross of Wisconsin - Southeast Chapter stepped in, setting up a shelter at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.

The Fountains apartment complex

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"I know there are apartments that are pretty damaged from the fire and then I know there are other apartments with smoke and water damage as well," said Red Cross regional communications director Jennifer Warren.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but fire crews noted there were working smoke detectors in the building.