An apartment fire destroyed a handful of apartments and caused smoke damage to many others on Sunday morning.
Residents at the Cameron Apartment Homes off of Appleton Avenue had to be evacuated around 10 a.m. The Menomonee Falls Fire Chief Jim Mollot says that a total of 36 apartments were affected.
While no one was injured, the Red Cross is assisting several families who have been displaced.
“We don’t know if anybody will be able to get in tonight," said Sally Reamer with the Red Cross. "The heavy damage was on one end of the building but it could be that the electrical is compromised and then possibly no one can get back in."
“The fire alarm was going off about 10 this morning,” said Tony Dole.
Fire crews arrived to see smoke and flames shooting out from the second and third floor balconies of the apartment homes.
“We've had false alarms, I've lived here for almost three years now, said Laura Oberte. "False alarms are one thing, but stepping out in the hallway consumed with smoke is another."
A Milwaukee County bus was brought in to help take those displaced to a shelter.
While no one was hurt, fire crews remained on scene for hours as they helped residents by going door-to-door looking for people's pets. Fire crews credit their fire alert system for their quick response.
“We had nine departments assisting with the fire at this time and back staffing our station 21 we are doing our investigation at this time," said Mollot. "It’s unknown as far as the cause."
