WAUKESHA, Wis. — A fire early this morning left one person dead in Waukesha. Investigators are now working to determine how it started.
Neighbors, including Laurie Hogeland, were woken up at 3 a.m. by firefighters banging on their doors.
"Just whaling on the door. 'We need you to evacuate—your neighbor's trailer is on fire,'" said Laurie.
Her home is diagonal from the neighbor's house that caught fire. As Laurie raced to get out the door, she said she was shocked by the massive flames.
"His whole roof is on fire. I was like, 'Oh my goodness,'" said Laurie.
She said at one point the flames were so high that all four of her neighbors were concerned their houses would also catch fire. Instead, their yards filled with water and debris.
Neighbors say firefighters worked for hours in very cold conditions.
"They fought it all night," said Jim, who did not give his last name.
Watch: Waukesha woman recalls being told to evacuate as neighbor's home burns
"I could see there were flames coming out of the building and the street behind me," said another neighbor who did not want to give his name.
"The whole trailer was just totally engulfed, and I saw them breaking it open. You could see flames just coming out," said Laurie.
Firefighters say that despite the heavy smoke and fire, they were able to get inside and rescue the homeowner and a cat. However, the man did not survive. Neighbors say he was an older man and very kind.
"Very nice, very nice," said Jim of his neighbor.
"It is a great loss. It really is," said Laurie.
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