MILWAUKEE — A father and his two sons were killed in a house fire near 33rd and Fairmount Wednesday morning, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said during a press conference.
The initial call for the fire came in around 4:30 a.m. A total of 62 firefighters responded from multiple departments.
Chief Lipski identified the victims as an 83-year-old, 57-year-old, and 53-year-old.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office has since identified them as 53-year-old Erwin Ray, 77-year-old Ernest Ray Jr., and 83-year-old Ernest Ray Sr.
According to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office's investigation report, the 83-year-old father was found deceased with his two sons. The two sons lived with cerebral palsy, according to the ME's office.
Firefighters believe the source of the flames was in the basement. They found the home fully engulfed in flames.
According to the ME's office, the family took turns caring for the two sons.
Chief Lipski said all of the victims died on the scene and does not believe the fire alarm in the home was working at the time. The fire is not considered suspicious, Lipski said, but the home is a total loss and will be demolished.
When crews were battling the blaze, they endured heavy fire and structural instability.
Lipski said the fire was extremely aggressive and dangerous at times. One of MFD's fire hose lines burst, forcing MFD to place two more lines and use a nearby fire hydrant.
He said a line bursting is normal from time to time due to the water pressure.
The fire chief addressed fire fatalities in the city in the past few years, saying in 2021, there were 14 fatalities. In 2022 there were 17, and so far this year, there have been 7.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office tells TMJ4 News they are still working on identifying the three victims.
A woman named Pepper Ray told TMJ4 News that the victims are her father and brothers. Ray said she and her sister rushed over after hearing about the fire on the news.
"I'm very emotional. I'm just holding it together right now," Ray said.
Firefighters went checked on neighboring homes and handed out free working smoke detectors following the press conference. Crews said they gave away a total of 20 alarms.
"The very best rescue that we can have as the one that doesn't need to occur," Chief Lipski said.
Today was a somber reminder that we all need to check our smoke detectors and have a fire safety plan. Thank you to @MilFireDept and the North Shore Fire/Rescue for their work to extinguish the flames and conduct a rescue mission. pic.twitter.com/tdFHiePwVA
— Mayor Cavalier Johnson (@MayorOfMKE) March 29, 2023
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