MILWAUKEE — A discarded cigarette inside a vacant Milwaukee building led to a massive fire that stretched resources across the entire city, and now a 22-year-old woman is facing criminal charges.
Ellen Stevens has been charged with negligent handling of burning material. According to a criminal complaint, Stevens admitted to smoking a cigarette inside the vacant Bishops Creek building at 32nd and Hampton, flicking it on the ground, attempting to put out the fire, and then leaving. She later posted on Snapchat that it was an accident.
Watch: Why a 22-year-old woman is facing charges in connection with a five-alarm fire near 32nd and Hampton on Wednesday.
The criminal complaint states the building was at risk of collapsing, had been deemed unsafe to enter, and has sat vacant for years.
"I see people going in and out that bottom door all the time," neighbor, Amy Austin, said.
Milwaukee Fire Department investigators worked alongside Milwaukee police to piece together what happened. Surveillance cameras from across the street helped identify those involved.
"They were able to see four individuals, a woman and three men, come out of there," Timothy Heling, Milwaukee Fire Department's Fire Investigation Unit director, said.
We asked Heling whether the group left right before the fire started or as it was starting.
"Like right after it started," Heling said.
The fire required a massive response. The Milwaukee Fire Department called in most of its fleet, including 26 engines, 10 trucks, seven medical units and 42 Milwaukee Police officers. Crews eventually demolished what remained of the building.
"if it was careless or malicious, that really bothers me. I take that personally. I don't want to put people in harm's way when they shouldn't have been there in the first place," Deputy Chief Ron Firnrohr said.
Firnrohr explained a response of that scale leaves the rest of the city vulnerable.
"The problem that that incurs is that the rest of the city is stripped of fire protection, and if it's stripped of fire protection, it's also stripped of emergency medical services," Firnrohr explained.
The strain on first responders extends beyond any single incident. This week alone, Milwaukee Fire Department handled more than 2,100 calls for service, including the fire at 32nd and Hampton, a 3-house fire at 20th and Auer and several car fires on Milwaukee's East Side.
"The people on that rig are the ones who are shouldering the burden of being exhausted and asked to perform at a level as if it were their first call of the day," Firnrohr added.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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