UWM sophomore facing charges in connection with arson fire in building on campus

MILWAUKEE -- A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sophomore is facing charges in connection with an arson fire that happened on January 5th in the Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (EMS) building on the UW-Milwaukee campus.

The suspect was arrested late on Friday, January 8th after UWM police received a tip about a suspicious person.

He is facing felony arson and felony reckless endangerment charges in connection with the fire.

He is also facing a misdemeanor arson charge in connection with a fire that occurred in the UWM Physics building on December 22nd. That fire extinguished itself by the time police arrived and caused only minor damage.

As for the January 5th fire, the preliminary estimate for cleanup and restoration in the EMS building is $300,000 to $500,000, including rebuilding a classroom and cleaning and restoring smoke damage on each of the building’s 13 floors.

On 7:40 p.m. on January 5th, UWM police responded to a report of smoke on the first floor of the engineering building. The officers located the source of the smoke in a first floor classroom and activated the building’s fire alarm. The Milwaukee Fire Department responded and extinguished the small fire, but not before smoke traveled throughout the building.

Because the fire occurred late in the day during UWM’s winter break, few people were in the building and all were safely evacuated.

Responders determined the fire was suspicious, and the UWM Police Department contacted the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation – State Fire Marshal’s Office. The state fire marshal conducted an investigation on January 6th and concluded the fire was an act of arson.

On Friday morning, January 8th, UWM Facilities staff were provided instruction on looking out for suspicious activity connected to the January 5th fire.

Later that day, a UWM custodian notified police about a suspicious individual in the Lubar School of Business building. Police found the UWM sophomore and took him into custody.

“We appreciate Facilities’ assistance and the custodian’s alert response,” UWM Police Chief Joseph LeMire said. “Her prompt notification of the police contributed to the arrest of this suspect and may have prevented further criminal behavior and damage to our buildings.”

The engineering building was closed through January 10th for the investigation and cleanup. Cleanup continues even though the building has reopened.