MILWAUKEE — One woman is dead and a firefighter is severely burned after intense flames spread Sunday morningacross three homes on Milwaukee’s south side. According to the Milwaukee Fire Department, the fire started in a vacant home.
The Milwaukee Fire Department hasn't released the name of the firefighter but the firefighter is stable.
We're also waiting for an official cause of death for the woman killed from the Medical Examiners Office.
Neighbors tell TMJ4’s Megan Lee that many people have been displaced by the massive fire.
Windows are busted out and siding is melted on three homes near S. Eighth Street and W. Arthur Avenue.
"I'm in disbelief right now,” neighbor Rosa Serna said.
Serna woke up to flames engulfing the home right next to her early Saturday morning.
"I just ran to the room and got my husband. And we ran outside,” Serna said.
Those flames then spread to her home - a place she has lived for the past eight years.
"Just scary I guess. We just saw all the flames coming off the roof,” Serna explained.
The flames destroyed parts of the walls in her dining room and kitchen.
Serna and her husband have to move out for at least six months while their home gets fixed.
"Nobody wants their grandma not having a place to live and especially this being such a gathering spot for our family like it’s definitely hard,” Serna’s granddaughter, Gisena Ramirez, explained.
Ramirez and other family members came over to help clean and pack up Serna’s belongings Monday morning. A place they typically gather to celebrate holidays and have family breakfast.
"Luckily they were okay. The house doesn't have that much damage to it, but you know it’s going to take a while for them to come back and live here. So, we're just doing the best we can,” Ramirez said.
The massive fire left one woman dead, and a firefighter severely burned. About 500 feet away is fire station 31 which closed back in 2018. Serna and Ramirez think having a closer department could have prevented the fire from spreading.
Lee asked if they wish the fire station was still open. Ramirez said, “oh yeah absolutely, I feel like if it was open, help could have been here a lot sooner than what it was."
Serna’s family started this fundraiser to help them find a new place to live while they are displaced. As far as the fire fighter goes, the union will release his name when he gets out of the hospital in a about a week or so.
The cause of this fire is still under investigation.
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