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Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
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Two more fires in Milwaukee happen in residences without sprinklers: 'None of that has to happen'
Two Milwaukee fires on June 1 that displaced nearly 40 people shared a troubling characteristic: no sprinklers. The lack of sprinklers prompted a call from Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski to address the issue, which has taken on increased prominence following a Mother's Day blaze that killed five people in a four-story apartment with no sprinklers in May. 'It looks like Godzilla took a bite out of both buildings. None of that has to happen,' Lipski said. 'Smoke alarms alert them to the problem; sprinklers allow them to get out.' Lipski's call to action came after the June 1 fires. About 25 people were displaced after a fire started at a 14-unit apartment at 4422 W. Hampton Ave. Less than 10 hours before, a four-unit apartment building at 8711 W. Villard Ave. set fire, displacing 14. Between the two fires, one person was injured and one firefighter had minor injuries. Investigators have yet to determine causes of the two fires, Lipski said. Lipski said sprinklers would have made a "dramatic difference" in these cases, echoing what he said following the Highland Court apartment fire in May. Since that fire and Lipski highlighting the issue, the lack of sprinklers in Milwaukee residences like these have come under scrutiny. That's allowed at these three buildings, and others like them, because of building code rules that allow buildings built before 1974 with certain sizes, shapes, dimensions and occupancy not to have sprinklers. The Hampton Avenue building was built in 1973 and the Villard Avenue apartment in 1962, according to online property records. On May 28, city officials met to review Milwaukee's sprinkler code, which is dictated by state law. That is due to Act 270, which then-Gov. Scott Walker signed into law 12 years ago and took away the ability of local governments to adopt municipal ordinances that are more restrictive than state law. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel previously reported that many state legislators, who were landlords themselves, helped pass laws around that time that undermined renter's rights. At the meeting, city officials said they are proposing increasing the number of fire protection inspections to twice a year in response to the Highland fire. The cost of adding sprinklers to buildings is a frequently cited reason for not requiring them and Lipski has pushed back against that repeatedly. At the meeting, he said it costs about the same as adding new carpet to a unit. On June 2, Lipski said he was feeling 'OK' about city officials' interest in addressing the issue. 'This has been a problem that's existed since sprinklers existed,' he said. 'It's not hyperbole. It's not fearmongering. It's happening and we got to see if we can fix it. If we try and we fail, then we'll just keep trying.' Officials estimate between 30,000 and 50,000 Milwaukee residents live in buildings without sprinklers. Milwaukee Common Council members Andrea Pratt and Mark Chambers Jr., who represent the areas where the June 1 fires occurred, did not immediately respond to Journal Sentinel requests for comment. The Red Cross opened a temporary shelter at Saint Paul Lutheran Church for tenants of the Humboldt fire, said Jennifer Warren, spokesperson for American Red Cross Wisconsin Region. Four people stayed overnight. Red Cross plans to host a Multi Agency Resource Center to help tenants secure another apartment. No date has been set yet. David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two more fires in Milwaukee happen in residences without sprinklers
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Milwaukee fatal apartment fire; city leaders seek prevention options
The Brief Milwaukee city leaders are debating what to do to prevent fires in apartment buildings. Leaders are looking for options because the city cannot enact legislation that is stricter than state law. This debate comes in the wake of the fire at the Highland Court apartments in which five people died. MILWAUKEE - Firefighters say sprinklers could have saved five lives in a fatal Mother's Day Milwaukee fire. So why are thousands of buildings in the city not required to have them? What we know On Wednesday, May 28, the Milwaukee Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee met to talk about sprinklers. The Highland Court apartments did not have them. Highland Court was built in 1968, making it exempt from the state law that later required sprinklers. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android The Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services estimates 10,000 of the city's apartment-style buildings are not required to have sprinklers. What they're saying "I assure you we would not have had five fatalities probably would have had zero fatalities if we had functioning sprinklers," said Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski. Wisconsin law prevents cities from having ordinances stricter than state law. That means Milwaukee cannot pass its own requirement for older buildings to go back and install sprinklers. On Wednesday, council members floated ideas like increasing safety inspections, looking for grant funding to help with sprinkler installation costs, and requiring landlords to disclose to tenants if the building does not have sprinklers before they sign a lease. "If we can even take small steps in that direction it would it would be a benefit," Lipski said. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News The case of the Highland Court fire remains under investigation. The Source The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News after sitting in on a committee meeting and using previous FOX6 News coverage.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Milwaukee fatal apartment fire; sprinkler systems debate grows
The Brief Firefighters say sprinkler systems in buildings save lives. The growing conversation surrounding sprinkler systems is taking place in the wake of the Highland Court apartment fire, where five people died. Sprinkler system experts say sprinklers are 96% effective is quelling a fire so firefighters can finish the job. MILWAUKEE - The fire at Milwaukee's Highland Court apartments got so out of control because firefighters said there was no sprinkler system in the building. FOX6 News got an closeup look at the crucial tool – and learned how it can save lives. What we know Surveillance video showed just how fast smoke took over the hallways of the Highland Court apartments on Sunday, May 11. Five people died as a result of the fire. Several others remain in critical condition. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android A key element that could have helped control the flames and slow the spread – a sprinkler system. What they're saying "There was no sprinklers whatsoever, in the area where humans spend most of their time in this building," said Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski. "It controls it. It doesn't stop it," said Steve Howard of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA). "The key for fire sprinklers for life safety is they control the fire. They buy time. They put the fire under control faster than any fire department can get there." Howard said sprinklers are 96% effective. FOX6 News got to see just how effective with a mobile, controlled room. "If it's a really small slow, growing fire. It's gonna take longer. If it grows fast. It goes a little quicker," Howard said. Howard is also a retired fire chief from the Waukesha Fire Department. He said sprinkler buildings have made the difference when it comes to saving lives. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News "Never had a fatal fire in a sprinkler building in my entire career," Howard said. "We need fire departments to respond and coupled with a working fire sprinkler system. It's the best combination for safety." The Source The information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Fire Department and National Fire Sprinkler Association.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sprinkler systems can save lives. Yet many apartment buildings in Milwaukee don't have them.
A deadly blaze that left five people dead on Mother's Day has prompted a debate over requiring automatic sprinklers in apartment buildings in Milwaukee. Highland Court Apartments, the site of the fire, was not required by city code to have sprinklers due to the apartment building's age. But Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said sprinklers could have saved lives in the May 11 fire. People caught in fires are 90% more likely to survive if the property has automatic sprinklers, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Yet just 8% of homes and apartments in the U.S. have a sprinkler system. "(Sprinklers) are the first firefighters on the scene," said Scott Kobb, of Sprinkler Fitters Local 183, a labor union that represents workers from 23 Milwaukee-area companies in the fire suppression system industry. Here's what to know about requirements for sprinkler systems in residential buildings in Milwaukee. The city requires residential buildings 60 feet and higher that were constructed after Nov. 12, 1973 to have sprinkler systems. Buildings that predate 1973, like the Highland Court Apartments, aren't required to have a sprinkler system. The four-story apartment building was built in 1968. If a building were to add a new addition, then the new addition would require a sprinkler system. It's hard to say exactly. But Milwaukee's housing stock is aging, with around three-quarters of residential structures built before 1959. Most residential buildings that are four stories or higher in Milwaukee were built before 1973, according to John Johnson, a research fellow at Marquette University. Based on city property data, there are about 220 residential buildings in the city comprising 14,595 housing units that are exempt from the city's code for sprinkler systems. Cost is the main reason property owners avoid implementing sprinkler systems. At a news conference May 13, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos argued that mandating sprinklers in old buildings would raise rent prices. Kobb, of the union, says the cost of installing a sprinkler system is about $3 per square foot for a new construction and $4 per square foot in an existing building — roughly the price of putting high-end carpet in each room. Despite the cost, Kobb said property owners are calling union members weekly to install sprinkler systems in old buildings. "There shouldn't be a price tag on a human being's life, right?" Kobb said. In 2008, the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Standards attempted to mandate sprinklers in apartments with four or more units built after 2011. It met pushback from the home building industry. In response, then-Gov. Scott Walker signed a law that prohibited state agencies from writing rules that are more restrictive than state law. At the time, state statute said only apartments with 20 or more units needed sprinklers. Then-Attorney General Brad Schimel issued a legal opinion in 2017 agreeing that the department's rule was unenforceable, to the disappointment of local fire chiefs. Schimel's decision was later overturned by Attorney General Josh Kaul in 2021. Plans for dwellings with three or more units submitted to the department on or after April 19, 2021 must have a sprinkler system. Many cities in the U.S. don't require sprinkler systems in older residential buildings, a 2017 PBS investigation found. Chicago does, to some degree. After a deadly fire in 2003, Chicago required residential high-rises built before 1975 to have either a sprinkler system, a voice communication system or other fire suppressing mechanisms. However, the city made an exception for buildings that could pass something called a "Life Safety Evaluation" — a fire safety inspection by a licensed professional engineer or architect. As of 2023, more than 800 residential buildings in Chicago don't have a sprinkler system, according to a CBS report. In Minneapolis, only high-rises built in 1980 or after require a sprinkler system, according to MPR News. San Jose requires all high-rise buildings have sprinklers. San Diego also once had this requirement, but it was overturned due to cost, PBS reported. Automatic fire sprinkler systems can suppress a fire in under 20 seconds, Kobb said. At the union offices, members maintain a "burn room" where they can demonstrate the effectiveness of sprinklers. There are multiple types of automatic fire sprinkler systems. The most common is the wet pipe system. It's activated once the ceiling temperature gets hot enough to burst a glass bulb, immediately triggering water. The National Fire Protection Association's review of house fires between 2017 and 2021 found that sprinklers reduced civilian death by 89%. It also decreased injury rates by 31% for civilians and 48% for firefighters. Sprinklers also decreased the average property loss in each house fire by 55%. Gina Castro is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be reached at gcastro@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Many residential buildings in Milwaukee don't have sprinkler systems
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Milwaukee investigators don't rule out possibility deadly fire was set intentionally
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski is not ruling out the possibility that the Mother's Day apartment fire that killed five people could have been intentionally set. He said the investigation into the fire — one of the deadliest in Milwaukee in decades — was continuing May 13 with the help of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, but he could not yet identify an exact cause. The May 11 fire displaced 114 residents and also left at least six people hospitalized. "The potential for an intentional act cannot be ruled out," Lipski said at a news conference May 13. But Lipski and others declined to provide much additional information about the blaze, such as the condition of the injured victims or whether police had identified any suspects. The building at 2725 W. Highland Blvd. is large, Lipski said, and the search for evidence of the cause of the fire is a "painstaking process." "We are necessarily isolating information so that we don't send an investigation down the wrong road," he said. "It's such a huge loss of life, it's just critical to get it right." More: Speaker Robin Vos says lawmakers unlikely to require fire sprinklers after fire that killed 5 Building owner Geraldine Robinson told the Journal Sentinel she heard an accelerant was thrown in an apartment shared by a boyfriend and a girlfriend. Lipski said he could not confirm accelerant was used without sending samples to a lab. "Until we rule out a whole bunch of stuff ... we cannot state with certainty one thing or the other," Lipski said. Firefighters rescued 48 residents using ladders and dragged out six others. Witnesses described tenants jumping from higher floors to the ground below and using the balconies to climb down. One man said the smoke was so dark and thick he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. Nearly 150 firefighters responded as part of a five-alarm response, including from West Allis and Wauwatosa. Trucks arrived within three minutes of the first 911 call, Lipski said. He described a "horrible" situation as the fire quickly spread across the building and vertically between its four stories, as well as into stairwells that firefighters needed to use to rescue people. As of the morning of May 13, one person was in critical condition, the fire department said in a news release. The injured victims ranged in age from 1 to 76 years old. Lipski said he did not believe anyone had been arrested in the fire. Milwaukee Police Capt. David Anderson declined to comment on the status of the investigation, saying, "There's stuff we're looking into. We have not made any determination." In addition to the ATF, police are working with the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation. The building did not have sprinklers or stand pipes, which Lipski has called out as a reason the fire was so deadly. It was not required to have sprinklers because it was built before 1974 and was "grandfathered" into the building code. The building did have smoke alarms, he said, and they could be heard as firefighters responded to the scene. As a point of comparison, Lipski said firefighters responded to a fire in a building at Milwaukee Area Technical College on May 13 and it was extinguished by sprinklers by the time they arrived. 'I cannot emphasize with enough force the necessity to have sprinklers,' he said. 'I don't stand before you to profess to have all the answers for how it will get done, but I am telling you we don't have this loss of life, the severity of injuries, this amount of property damage if that building has sprinklers.' Alderman Bob Bauman, who represents the area where the apartment is, said he introduced a communication file for a city committee on May 28 to learn more about buildings that pre-date building code requirements. Changing building code is outside of the city's abilities and requires state changes, he said. The city's legislative package, a set of issues it asks its lobbyists to advocate for at the state Legislature, includes advocating for requiring sprinklers in new apartment construction regardless of size, Bauman said. 'We hope to get to the bottom of what the history is … and what can be done to make sure things like this do not happen again,' he said. The city is currently analyzing the number of buildings that pre-date building code and would have the figure for that meeting, said Jezamil Arroyo-Vega, a commissioner at the city's Department of Neighborhood Services. Lipski said about six years ago, he surveyed all high-rise buildings in the city, and about 70% of residential high-rises were built before 1974, "so it was dealer's choice if anyone put sprinklers in." 'We're still living with these buildings right now,' Lipski said. 'We're dying in some of the buildings." The victims of the fire include Torrell D. Coleman, 40; Verna Richards, 62; Mark A. Chaffin, 76; Maureen Green, 67, and one unidentified woman, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. So far this year, six people have died in fires in Milwaukee, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department. Last year, four died. There were 12 fire deaths in 2022, and 12 in 2021. Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@ or 920-323-5758. David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee chief not ruling out chance fatal fire was set intentionally
