MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee family is beyond frustrated after a vacant house fire spread to their home last week. Now, the city wants the damages cleaned up.
"It was their mess from the vacant home, it wasn't from ours,” fire victim, Natali Gutierrez explained.
The mess Natali Gutierrez is talking about was caused by a fire at a city-owned vacant house that spread last week to her family's home on 1st Street.
"I'm really frustrated. I can't think right because this is all happening way too fast for us.,” Natali said.
Earlier this week her family received a violation notice in their mailbox from the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services.
"The hypocrisy is crazy,” she explained.
The notice said the Gutierrez family needs to take care of the fire damages. They need to have a permit to repair the home by August 21st, 2024.
"I think it's kind of bogus that they're able to do a citation right away and they can't even give us a proper apology for what has happened,” Natali explained.
Her younger sister Mixell Gutierrez said the arson at the vacant home was preventable.
“That would have not happened if you guys would have torn down the house a while ago. You guys had plenty of time to do it,” Mixell explained.
Now the family is scrambling to put their life back together from a hotel room.
TMJ4’s Megan Lee noticed that the family can appeal the violation. However, there is a fee associated it with it.
Natali said “Isn't it crazy. If we don't do this we get cited for it and I still have to pay for a fee. It just doesn't make sense.”
The city-owned vacant home was torn down on Tuesday. However, the Gutierrez family said it should have been done much sooner.
"If they're able to do it this quick. Why couldn't they do it from the start,” Natali asked.
A spokesperson for the Department of Neighborhood Services confirmed the building was on the city's list to be razed, but the city was waiting on We Energies to turn off the gas.
Lee reached out to We Energies for clarification on what happened.
This is the timeline the energy company provided in an email:
March 13, 2024 – Neighborhood Services ask about the electric and gas removal at the address. We notify them we never received the signed form from June 2023. They send the signed form, and we begin our process.
April 2024 – Electric service is removed.
March 13, 2024 – April 29, 2024 – We go through our gas service removal process that includes engineering design (removing an underground, interconnected gas line is not as simple as just pulling something out).
April 29, 2024 – We file for an excavation permit with the city to dig up the line.
May 8, 2024 – We receive the permit from the city and the job goes into our work queue and is scheduled for this month.
May 22, 2024 – The gas service is removed.
"Because of us speaking out with your help reaching out to the public. This has caused the house to be brought down finally,” Natali explained.
She is glad the vacant building next door is finally gone but she wants the City of Milwaukee to take responsibility for the damages.
“It's a long shot. But I am expecting it and I hope I get it,” she explained.
The family started this Go Fund Me page to raise money as they navigate the aftermath of the fire.
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