BROWN DEER, Wis. — A fast-moving fire tore through an eight-unit condo building in Brown Deer late Sunday night, leaving 15 people displaced and raising questions about whether the building’s fire alarm system worked properly.
Firefighters with North Shore Fire/Rescue responded to the scene shortly after 11:15 p.m. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames pouring from a first-floor unit and spreading into the attic space shared by the rest of the building.
“We had a significant amount of fire on the first floor in one of the units, which extended into an attic space that's common to the other units in the building,” said Chief Robert Whitaker with North Shore Fire/Rescue. “When we arrived, the occupants were in the process of evacuating. I believe one of our crews had to remove one occupant who hadn't self-evacuated on our arrival.”
Neighbor John Schultze said he first realized something was wrong when he heard sirens outside his home.
“I saw that building here was just flames and fire and smoke pouring out the back,” Schultze said. “Ran outside, realized that there were about six fire trucks here and about 15 or 16 residents displaced. Some residents were still inside the building.”
Investigators are now looking into reports that some residents may not have heard a fire alarm before escaping the building.
“We are looking into reports that the fire alarm didn't sound in the building,” Whitaker said. “We haven't verified that, though.”
Read more: Residents recount escape from Brown Deer condo fire
The condo complex was built in the 1980s, before residential sprinkler systems were required. Schultze said the fire hit especially close to home for him and his wife.
seven other condominium units. Initial arriving firefighters, along with officers from the Brown Deer
Police Department, assisted multiple occupants in evacuating from the building.
“My wife and I both said all night this could have been us,” he said.
As firefighters battled the blaze, neighbors stepped in to help one another. Liz Brooks said one resident escaped the fire with barely any clothing, so she gave him clothes from her home.
“We're a very little, you know, tight community back here,” Brooks said. “When it hurts one, it gets to everybody.”
Two residents and one firefighter suffered minor injuries during the fire. The American Red Cross is now assisting displaced residents with temporary housing and emergency support.
“It'll take a while for people to recover here,” Brooks said. “I mean, I'm still shaking from it.”
Investigators say the fire appears to have been accidental.
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