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The Guardian
12-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Milwaukee apartment building residents jump from windows amid rare large fire
A fire at an apartment building in Milwaukee killed four people, critically injured four others and displaced roughly 200 people Sunday, according to authorities. The blaze was so intense that residents of the four-story building jumped from its windows – and the first firefighters to arrive at the scene were 'outmatched' by its flames, officials said. Ladder trucks were used to rescue other residents from windows while some firefighters inside the burning building crawled on their hands and knees to get people out, said Milwaukee's fire chief, Aaron Lipski, on Sunday. In all, about 30 people were rescued. It was not immediately clear how the fire may have started. Lipski said the building did not have a sprinkler system and was built in 1968, predating a law that would have required one, according to the fire chief. 'If we had sprinklers in the buidling we would have stopped the fire very, very small,' he said. 'We would not have had to have people jumping out of windows.' Several other residents were treated for lesser injuries in the fire that began sometime before 8am as the US observed Mother's Day. The blaze rendered the 85-unit building uninhabitable, leading to the displacement of about 200 of its residents. James Rubinstein, a resident in the building, described how he jumped to the ground floor. 'There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack,' Rubinstein told television station FOX6 Milwaukee. Emergency operators received calls that people were trapped and jumping to escape. The first arriving firefighters came to be 'far, far outmatched' by the flames of the five-alarm blaze, as Lipski put it. The number of alarms associated with a fire indicates the size of a fire department's response to it, with a higher number indicating a blaze that is more resource intensive. Anything above three alarms is typically considered major, and five-alarm blazes are rare. Authorities did not immediately release the identities or ages of the victims. Lipski said the fire began in a common area and spread to multiple floors. Eddie Edwards, another resident of the building, said he also jumped to escape. 'I wasn't thinking about nothing but getting away,' he told Milwaukee television station WISN. 'Getting out and saving everyone's life. It was a scary moment.' The Associated Press contributed reporting
Toronto Sun
12-05-2025
- General
- Toronto Sun
Residents jump from windows during Milwaukee apartment fire that kills 4
Published May 12, 2025 • 1 minute read In this image made from video, a firefighter on ladder helps a person out of the window at the site of an apartment building fire in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 11, 2025. Photo by WISN / AP MILWAUKEE — Residents jumped from the windows of a four-story apartment building in Milwaukee during a Mother's Day fire that killed four people, critically injured four others and grew so intense that the blaze outmatched the first firefighters to arrive, authorities said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Ladder trucks were used to rescue other residents from windows while some firefighters inside the burning building crawled on hands and knees to get people out, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said Sunday. In all, about 30 people were rescued. Authorities have not said how the fire might have started. Lipski said the building did not have a sprinkler system and was built in 1968, predating a law that would have required one, according to the fire chief. 'If we had sprinklers in the building we would have stopped the fire very, very small. We would not of had to have people jumping out of windows,' he said. Several other residents were treated for lesser injuries in the fire that began sometime before 8 a.m. The blaze rendered the 85-unit building uninhabitable, displacing an estimated 200 people. James Rubinstein, a resident in the building, said he jumped to the ground floor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack,' Rubinstein told television station FOX6 Milwaukee. Emergency operators received calls that people were trapped and jumping to escape. The first firefighters to arrive were 'far, far outmatched' by intense flames, Lipski said. Authorities did not immediately release the identities or ages of the victims. Lipski said the fire began in a common area and spread to multiple floors. Eddie Edwards, another resident of the building, said he also jumped to escape. 'I wasn't thinking about nothing but getting away,' he told Milwaukee television station WISN. 'Getting out and saving everyone's life. It was a scary moment.' Sunshine Girls Health Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA
NBC News
12-05-2025
- General
- NBC News
Residents jump from windows during Milwaukee apartment fire that kills 4
MILWAUKEE — Residents jumped from the windows of a four-story apartment building in Milwaukee during a Mother's Day fire that killed four people, critically injured four others and grew so intense that the blaze outmatched the first firefighters to arrive, authorities said. Ladder trucks were used to rescue other residents from windows while some firefighters inside the burning building crawled on hands and knees to get people out, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said Sunday. In all, about 30 people were rescued. Authorities have not said how the fire might have started. Lipski said the building did not have a sprinkler system and was built in 1968, predating a law that would have required one, according to the fire chief. 'If we had sprinklers in the buidling we would have stopped the fire very, very small. We would not of had to have people jumping out of windows,' he said. Several other residents were treated for lesser injuries in the fire that began sometime before 8 a.m. The blaze rendered the 85-unit building uninhabitable, displacing an estimated 200 people. James Rubinstein, a resident in the building, said he jumped to the ground floor. 'There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack,' Rubinstein told television station FOX6 Milwaukee. Emergency operaters received calls that people were trapped and jumping to escape. The first firefighters to arrive were 'far, far outmatched' by intense flames, Lipski said. Authorities did not immediately release the identities or ages of the victims. Lipski said the fire began in a common area and spread to multiple floors. Eddie Edwards, another resident of the building, said he also jumped to escape. 'I wasn't thinking about nothing but getting away,' he told Milwaukee television station WISN. 'Getting out and saving everyone's life. It was a scary moment.'
7NEWS
11-05-2025
- 7NEWS
Shock twist in case of woman missing for 63 years: ‘No regrets'
In July 1962, 20-year-old Audrey Backeberg went missing from Reedsburg, Wisconsin. The family's babysitter said she and Backeberg hitchhiked to Madison on July 7 before they took a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, according to her missing person report. The babysitter said she last saw Backeberg walking away from the bus stop, around a corner. Investigators pursued different leads on her whereabouts for years, but the case eventually went cold. That is, until earlier this month when the Sauk County Sheriff's Office announced Backeberg had been located — 'alive and well'. Backeberg disappeared of her own volition, with no criminal activity or foul play involved, authorities said. The woman who spent more than 60 years listed as a missing person in Wisconsin is now living in another state. The case was assigned to a Sauk County detective early this year as part of an ongoing review of all cold case files, Sheriff Chip Meister said in the release. Witnesses were re-interviewed, all evidence was re-evaluated, and new insights were revealed. But the secret to cracking the case was her sister's Ancestry family history profile, Detective Isaac Hanson told WISN -TV of Milwaukee. 'That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data,' Hanson told WISN. 'Ultimately, we came up with an address.' Hanson phoned the local sheriff's department and asked someone to stop by at the address he found, WISN reported. Ten minutes later, Backeberg, now in her 80s, gave Hanson a call. An abusive husband may have been a factor in her disappearance, Hanson said, but he promised their conversation would remain private. The sheriff's office also did not disclose what state Backeberg is living in. According to The Chippewa Herald, Backeberg had two children with a former husband, Ronald, who died in 2006. Hanson confirmed to the Herald that Backeberg did remarry and has a new last name that he declined to share. Hanson told the Herald he notified Backeberg's family members, who had mixed emotions but were 'elated'. 'She sounded happy,' he told WISN. 'Confident in her decision. No regrets.'
CNN
05-05-2025
- CNN
A Wisconsin woman missing for more than 60 years has been found alive
A woman who vanished more than six decades ago in Wisconsin has been found and as it turns out, she didn't actually want to be found, authorities say. Audrey Jean Backeberg, 82, went missing on July 7, 1962, from Reedsburg, a small town about 60 miles northwest of Madison, Wisconsin. At the time, she was 20 and another person claimed she and Backeberg hitchhiked to the state capital where they took a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, Indiana, according to her original missing person's report. Backeberg walked around the corner away from the bus stop, the person told authorities, and hadn't been seen or heard from since. Investigators from the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said they 'pursued numerous leads' trying to find Backeberg for years but despite their efforts, the case went cold. Earlier this year, the sheriff's office put a detective on the case for a fresh set of eyes as part of an ongoing review of cold case files. So paper, by paper, Detective Isaac Hanson took another look at evidence, reinterviewed witnesses and 'uncovered new insights,' the sheriff's office said in a news release. Thanks to an account that belonged to Backeberg's sister, Hanson was able to review death records, census reports and 'all kinds of data,' he told CNN affiliate WISN. Ultimately, the detective found an out-of-state address and asked the local sheriff's office to pay it a visit. They obliged and shortly after the visit, Hanson found himself on the phone with Backeberg for 45 minutes having a conversation he promised to keep private. 'She had her reasons for leaving,' Hanson told WISN. 'I think she just was removed, and you know, moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and led her life,' he added. CNN has reached out to the Sauk County Sheriff's Office for comment. The sheriff's office concluded Backeberg's disappearance was her own choice and not the result of any criminal activity or foul play. 'She sounded happy, confident in her decision, no regrets,' Hanson said.
