MILWAUKEE — A five-alarm fire tore through Lincoln Avenue School in Milwaukee early Tuesday morning, leaving uncertainty for nearly 500 students now without their school just months before the new school year. No injuries were reported.
Smoke from the blaze could be seen for blocks. Milwaukee Public Schools has not yet confirmed whether the building is a total loss, but aerial views show most of the roof is gone.
Watch: Families wonder next steps after large fire tears through Lincoln Avenue School on Milwaukee's south side
Students enrolled in the Lincoln Avenue summer program have been diverted to Hayes Bilingual School through the end of July. MPS said options for students in the coming school year will be discussed with parents as the district works through them this summer.
Jonathan Castillo, whose sons John Carlos Castillo and Santiago Castillo attended the school, said the fire hit his family hard.
"So we got real sad and we're worried now what's going to happen what's the next thing you know…" Castillo said.
Castillo said his thoughts are also with the school's staff.
"I also feel for the teachers. My kids spend time, day by day with those teachers and I feel for them too. I can't imagine the stuff that they lost in their own memories" Castillo said.
Parent Emily Garcia said her biggest worry now is what comes next for her children.
"So our concern is like I'm sure a lot of other parents like where are our kids going to go what options do we have?" Garcia said.
Like many MPS schools, Lincoln Avenue is very old and does not have a sprinkler system. It's an issue the fire department says is common in many large building fires. Large buildings in Milwaukee built before 1974 were not required to have sprinkler systems. The average age of an MPS school, is around 85 years.
MPS Facilities Manager Michael Turza said funding is the core obstacle.
"I mean again it's a question of our ability to fund them. To put a sprinkler system it'd be multimillion dollars per building, given all of our facility needs it's just part of the overall picture for us," Turza said.
Garcia said she understands the budget constraints but believes safety must come first.
"I'm sure they do all the safety precautions, but it's not enough they need to update the systems but a lot of the schools do, not just Lincoln. But now with the budget cuts and all that it's just really tough, it's tough to consider that now on top of everything else," Garcia said.
The fire department's next step will be investigating the cause of the fire.
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