At least 4 killed, 200 displaced in US' Milwaukee apartment building fire

Indian Express

12-05-2025

At least four people were killed and 200 others were displaced after a major fire engulfed a Milwaukee apartment building in Concordia neighborhood, which began in a common area and spread to multiple floors on Sunday.
The fire reportedly started just before 8am on Sunday in a four-storey, 85 unit apartment complex in Milwaukee's Concordia neighborhood. Authorities said that four people succumbed to their injuries while dozen others were wounded in the fire, with at least four people critically injured.
The Milwaukee Fire Department in a Facebook post stated, 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire that occurred early this morning, May 11, at a four-story residential building in Milwaukee's Concordia neighborhood.'
More than 30 fire trucks were at the spot and fire fighters rescued at least 30 people from the Milwaukee apartment building. Reports suggested that some residents jumped from the windows of the second-floor of the building to escape the raging fire. The Red Cross is assisting about 200 people who have been displaced due to the fire.
A CNN report stated that medics were seen outside the apartment complex giving CPR to the affected persons, and few residents were carried to ambulances on stretchers. The report added that the building was not equipped with a sprinkler system, however, it didn't require it as well since the complex was built before 1974.
'I spoke with both firefighters and displaced residents and heard about a number of dramatic escapes and rescues from the burning apartment building,' Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.
The Milwaukee fire department said that they received calls about people being trapped in a building in the Concordia neighborhood due to fire, and the residents were jumping to escape the raging flames. The first firefighters to arrive were 'far, far outmatched' by intense flames, said Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski at a press briefing.
The cause of the fire remained unclear but fire chief Lipski said it would be figured out as the investigation was ongoing.