KENOSHA, Wis. — Three people died and two people are unaccounted for after an apartment complex for seniors caught fire in Kenosha late Monday night.
Kenosha Fire Chief Christopher G. Bigley said in a statement that firefighters were called to the Saxony Manor Apartments at 1870 22nd Avenue around 9:30 pm. There they found the building fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters soon were able to rescue two people trapped in upper level units using ladder trucks.
The chief says the fire was under control within about 30 minutes.
But while crews searched what remained of the apartment building, they found the bodies of two adults. The fire department concluded one died from a medical event unrelated to the fire, while the other person died from the fire.
A third person later died at the hospital from injuries suffered in the blaze, the chief said.
Two people remain unaccounted for, but the fire chief does not believe they are in the burnt apartments.
The fire department credited Kenosha Police for their quick response. "Had it not been for the rapid response and evacuation efforts by the Kenosha Police Department there would likely have been more injury or death," according to their statement.
A Kenosha police officer was transported to an area hospital for smoke inhalation, the fire department said. He was later released.
The investigation into the fire continues. A source of the fire has not been announced.
"The loss of life due to fire is something that something that deeply effects the City of Kenosha and our residents. Our Fire prevention Bureau routinely conducts inspections and will continue to strive to make every building in Kenosha as safe as possible," according to Chief Bigley
Displaced residents were held in warming buses provided by Kenosha Transit while firefighters worked to put out the apartment building.
The American Red Cross of Wisconsin said disaster volunteers opened five emergency assistance cases for five people in five units of the building, in order to help them with temporary lodging and meals.
Red Cross officials said they are working with the property owner and the city to identify the full number of those affected.
