MILWAUKEE — Multiple homes were reduced to rubble in an apartment building fire Thursday night near 84th and Mill.
"I was running for my life, my children were running for their lives, my grandchildren were running for their lives," recalled resident, Cherise Parker.
Parker told TMJ4 she was woken up to the sound of neighbors banging on her window yelling 'fire.'
"So we just got what we can, shoes, keys, purse— just running out the door," Parker said.
She told TMJ4 that once she ran to the back of her building, she saw the flames take over multiple units.
"[The fire] just moved, it just moved, it stopped at the front of this unit... and it just burned. It was devastating because there were people coming home from the fourth and seeing their unit on fire."
VIDEO: Fire guts multiple units in Milwaukee building
Parker said her unit and walls now have extensive smoke damage but her home is still intact.
Her neighbor, X Taylor, wasn't so lucky.
"All of a sudden somebody called my name and I mean, I'm 66 years old— I couldn't run," recalled Taylor. 'But they're like 'hurry up, come on, come on.'"
She was taken to the hospital Thursday night to check for injuries.
After being discharged Friday, Taylor came back to see what was left of her home.
Photos her son shared with TMJ4's Mariam Mackar show her ceiling concave and hallways filled with ash and insulation.
Taylor has lived there for nine years and says it's hard to look at the destruction.
In the daytime, one can see units completely gutted and smell the smoke surrounding the building.
Parker says it's a reality that's hard to believe for many who live in the area.
The Milwaukee Fire Department has not responded to our request for information regarding the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage.
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