The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate the cause of the fire that killed three people and demolished a home in Waukesha early Tuesday morning.
Kevin Duffy died trying to save two of his children, 14-year-old Kevin Jr. and 12-year-old Kylie. The third child, 9-year-old Konner was able to get to safety.
Family told TODAY’S TMJ4 the house remained with them for more than 80 years. Elizabeth West move into the home when she was four-years-old.
“My mom and dad are probably jumping over in their graves,” she said. “I mean the smoke, the billows of smoke up in the air were just terrible. I mean it just broke our hearts.”
She and her husband now live 100 yards away from the house, but she still has family living there. Her sister and nephew lived on one side. The other side was rented out just a few months ago to a dad and his three kids. At the time of the fire, her niece was visiting.
“I was worried about who was in and out of the house,” West said.
Thankfully, her family got out safely, including her 81-year-old sister who was taken to the hospital for observation.
Unfortunately not all four other residents made it out.
Now more than 24 hours later, neighbors are sending their thoughts and prayers.
“It was tragic you know. Seeing the firefighters running in and out,” Samuel Guzman, who lives a few doors down, said.
“It’s a true tragedy. I was hoping that everybody would have been able to get out,” neighbor, Jennifer Darty added.
Now West is trying to take in the loss of her family home.
“That’s my heritage basically this whole place is,” West said.
The Waukesha School District told TODAY’S TMJ4, none of the children who lived in the home were enrolled in their schools.
