MILWAUKEE — Crews battled a house fire amid cold temperatures in Milwaukee on Monday.
The Woods family has lived in the home on the corner of 29th Street for more than 50 years. In just a few hours, that legacy and decades of family memories went up in flames.
"This is everything to us. This is home," said Dusty Woods. Her family is holding each other and their pets a little bit tighter on Monday.
"I grew up there. All my childhood memories, everything is there."
The home that was the backdrop of generations of family gatherings was completely destroyed by a fire that broke out on the second floor.
Watch: 'We lost everything': Family mourns loss of home after fire at 29th and Hadley
The flames shooting out of the roof were so intense that, for a moment, even the fire crews could not tackle them. That was due, in part, to the frigid temperatures and strong winds, according to Assistant Chief of Fire Operations Schuyler Belott.
By the time the fire was out, the roof was decimated, and the home was not salvageable.
As the Woods family sheltered together in a city bus, waiting for help from the Red Cross, they shared memories of their life on 29th Street.
"We used to have block parties and everything because we've been here for so long," said Dusty Woods.
"My husband has lived in that house since he was 10 years old," shared Laura Woods. "That's 57 years. He's 67 now."
Laura Woods, along with her husband and mother, had to be rescued from the porch balcony when crews arrived.
Everyone was evacuated.
Fire crews were still working on the scene as of 1 p.m. Monday. Massive holes could be seen on both sides of the home's roof as crews continued to fight fires in the interior walls of the home.
Watch: Fire crews battle blaze at 29th and Hadley:
Frigid temperatures and strong winds in Milwaukee contributed to the difficulty of the firefighting effort.
"When we have extreme weather, whether that's hot or cold, we plan for additional resources to give our folks a break. It's hard enough work to do, then you throw in the layers of the extreme weather and it just makes everything more complicated," Belott told TMJ4 News.
The family had two dogs and three cats inside the home. The two dogs were rescued, but the family isn't sure about the whereabouts of the cats.
Two family members were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. There's no word yet on the extent of any injuries sustained from the fire.
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