South Milwaukee duplex fire; 13th and Monroe, person suffered burns

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. - A family is forced to clean up a giant mess after their South Milwaukee home caught fire early Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Tired and distraught is how Jessica Smith feels when she looks through the broken windows of her charred home at 13th and Monroe in South Milwaukee. 

"It hasn't hit me yet," Smith said. "I was getting ready to go to bed when I smelled the smoke. Went to the kitchen. It was a little bit smokey, got to the bathroom and it was coming up through the floor."

House fire at 13th and Monroe, South Milwaukee

Smith had just gotten home from working the overnight hours. 

"We rushed out. My husband started breaking down the door to get his uncle out, my daughter grabbed the dog and I called 911," Smith said. 

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Several fire crews arrived to the scene to put out the flames. 

House fire at 13th and Monroe, South Milwaukee

"Everyone got out OK. We lost one dog downstairs, but that's it," Smith said. 

The South Milwaukee Fire Department said one person was taken to St. Mary's Burn Center with non-life-threatening injuries. 

For the family, 25 years of memories are now ash. 

"The house is a total loss," Smith said. "Phones and computers -- that's about it. And our clothes; everything else is gone."

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

House fire at 13th and Monroe, South Milwaukee

The Smiths will be staying with family until they can get back on their feet.