Shorewood apartment fire, building evacuated: officials

SHOREWOOD, Wis. - North Shore Fire/Rescue responded to an apartment fire on Capitol Drive in Shorewood on Wednesday night, Jan. 5.

According to officials, a resident called 911 just after 7 p.m. to report a fire in their kitchen near Capitol and Larkin. While on the phone, the caller said the fire was spreading and the dispatcher advised to evacuate.

Upon arrival, responding units found smoke and fire showing from a second-floor window of the eight-unit apartment building. Residents outside said that everyone had been able to evacuate the structure before fire personnel arrived.

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Companies found heavy smoke and moderate heat with fire conditions contained to the originating apartment. They were able to quickly bring the fire under control, officials said. No injuries were reported to any of the tenants or any of the fire or law enforcement personnel at the scene.

There is smoke damage throughout much of the building, but the heaviest damage is confined to the apartment where the fire started, the common hallway and the apartment below. Additionally, there is water damage to the apartment where the fire started and the unit below it; both of those units are untenable currently, officials said.

The remaining residents were allowed to return to their units if they wished. Damage to the building and contents is preliminarily estimated at $58,000.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation; however, it does not appear to be suspicious at this time. Early indications are that the tenant who called 911 quickly recognized the fire and attempted to extinguish it using a commercial fire extinguisher from the building's common hallway. The resident quickly realized that the fire was continuing to grow and evacuated the apartment in addition to notifying neighboring apartments on their way out, likely preventing potential injury and entrapment to others.

North Shore Fire/Rescue was assisted on scene by the Milwaukee Fire Department, the Shorewood Police Department and We Energies crews.

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