MILWAUKEE — First responders pulled the body of a 75-year-old Milwaukee man from the ruins of two collapsed homes after they caught fire Monday morning.
Milwaukee police confirm a 12-year-old family member also suffered smoke inhalation and an ambulance brought him to the hospital for treatment. He is expected to survive.
The fire spread to two homes at 34th and Vine, leading to their collapse, Milwaukee Fire Department officials say. The occupants of the second home were not injured, nor were responding firefighters.
Family identified the 75-year-old man who died as Samuel Adams.
Milwaukee Fire and Police Department officials said during a press conference that crews were called to the scene around 10:30 a.m. for a two-alarm fire.
Residents that live near 34th and Vine were anxiously waiting for fire crews to go inside the home because they say a loved one was still not accounted for.
"We are concerned that there might be somebody in there, we don't know that," Milwaukee Police District 3 Captain Herd Glidewell said. "There's a lot of concern from the neighborhood." This was before the body was discovered.
When crews got to the scene, they saw two homes on fire, but could not go in because it wasn't safe.
"The building did collapse so that did cause some issues for us to get in and do what we needed to do," said Sharon Purifoy-Smoots, Milwaukee Fire Assistant Chief.
Purifoy-Smoots said they're waiting for the Department of Public Works to assess the home before crews can go inside and search.
A GoFundMe fundraiser was launched for the two people who survived the fire, but lost all their possessions in it.
Around 7 p.m. Monday, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said they responded to the 1900 block of N 34th for an adult male recovered from a house fire.
MCMEO responding to the 1900 blk of N 34 for one adult male recovered from a house fire. Autopsy tomorrow. @MilwaukeePolice investigating.
— Medical Examiner (@mkemedexamine) May 17, 2022
The cause of the fire is not known. The investigation is ongoing.
