GLENDALE, Wis. — Firefighters battled a large apartment fire at 4848 N. Lydell Ave. in Glendale, just north of Estabrook Park.
North Shore Fire Department Chief Robert Whittaker said crews were dispatched at 4:40 p.m. following a 911 call reporting a fire in the building. Milwaukee Fire Department received a simultaneous call at 4:41 p.m. Both departments arrived on scene within about four minutes, at 4:45 and 4:46 p.m., and found fire on the balcony on the second, third, and fourth floors, extending into the attic space.
The building straddles the boundary between Milwaukee and Glendale. Because most 911 calls are made from cell phones, the call was routed based on which tower it bounced off of, resulting in both departments being dispatched simultaneously.
"911 calls are mostly cellular these days. They just bounce off the towers, and depending on what tower they bounce off depends what dispatch center they go to," Whittaker said.
Watch: Northshore Fire Chief provides update on apartment fire
The equivalent of a third alarm was dispatched to the scene, bringing 12 engine companies, about 8 ladder companies, a heavy rescue unit, multiple paramedic units, and multiple chief officers.
In total, approximately 70 firefighters were at the scene. The fire was brought under control in about 50 minutes.
Crews worked to extinguish the fire while simultaneously searching the entire building. Fire reached the attic space, which Whittaker said is a serious concern in apartment buildings.
"Once fire gets in an attic, it runs quickly and extends. So you have to be quick about getting into that attic space and knocking that fire down," Whittaker said.
The fire extended into at least one apartment on the upper floors, which sustained significant fire damage, along with fire damage to a fourth-floor unit and some damage on the third floor.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the fire appears to have started on one of the building's exterior porches. Whittaker confirmed crews believe the fire started on a balcony but have not yet determined the cause.
Watch: Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski provides update on apartment fire
"I don't have the cause of why it started on the balcony yet. There's electricity at some apartments on balconies. I've run across fires like that, I've run across fires where people smoke on the balconies, discarded cigarette type of problem, so it's a wide variety at this point," Whittaker said.
Whittaker said investigators do not believe the fire is suspicious and are treating it as accidental, but the cause remains under investigation.
One firefighter was evaluated for a minor injury and has already returned to work. One building occupant requested evaluation by a paramedic for smoke inhalation but refused transport to the hospital.
The building is equipped with a sprinkler system, but Whittaker said the sprinklers did not activate during the fire — not because of a malfunction, but because the system performed as designed. The sprinklers are located in the hallways and exit ways, which was up to code when the building was constructed. There was not enough heat in the hallways to trigger the system.
"It didn't activate, but it acted as designed," Whittaker said.
Whittaker said the fire did not spread beyond the affected apartments on that side of the building, which he attributed to the sprinkler system working as intended.
The building's fire alarm system, which the owner recently upgraded, did activate and alerted residents to evacuate.
"The owner proactively decided to do that without us having to do anything like forcing," Whittaker said.
Watch: Large apartment fire burns building at Lydell and Hampton in Glendale
Whittaker said the upgraded alarm system likely saved lives.
"The fire alarm here did its job and told people there was an event that they needed to evacuate. The owner of the building has recently invested to upgrade the fire alarm that is here. It worked as it should have, and it likely resulted in people evacuating and saving lives," Whittaker said.
Glendale Police Department officers also arrived on scene with firefighters and assisted with evacuating the building, including going into smoke-filled areas to ensure residents were getting out.
Eight units are confirmed to be displaced, affecting approximately 14 to 16 people. Whittaker said that number could grow depending on whether an electrician is able to safely restore temporary power to the building. A final determination on additional displaced units was not expected for at least another hour.
The American Red Cross is on scene assisting displaced residents. We Energies electric and gas crews and multiple police departments are also assisting with traffic and crowd control.
The building is being turned back over to the owner and a board-up company.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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