MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee mother is recovering from three spinal fractures after jumping from a second-story window with her three children to escape an apartment fire near 107th and Fond du Lac.
The fire broke out just before 3 a.m. Firefighters say several people had to jump to escape the flames, including Brianna McCullough and her three children.
McCullough says she woke in the middle of the night to smoke, fire, and darkness. She tried to get out through the door, but says the flames pushed them back inside.
"I told them…we gotta jump. We gotta go out the window," McCullough said.
With no way out, she says she had to get her children to jump one by one. Her son was too scared. Her daughter froze.
"I had to push her… it wasn't a choice… I had to," McCullough said.
In that moment, she says she feared the worst.
"This is what hell looks like… we're gonna die," McCullough said.
After forcing her children to jump, she followed. McCullough hit the ground so hard that she passed out.
"When I came to… my kids were screaming my name… they thought I was dead," McCullough said.
McCullough is now in the hospital recovering from three fractures in her spine.
"It's hard for me to lift my arms… It's hard for me to eat… it's hard for me to use the bathroom," McCullough said.
She says the physical pain is only part of what she is living with.
"Every time I go to sleep… I see fire… I see smoke," McCullough said.
Everything the family owned was lost in the fire.
"We don't even have a toothbrush," McCullough said.
Firefighters say nearly 40 people were displaced. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire officials say there were no sprinklers inside the apartments. The property owner says the building met code and that sprinklers were installed in storage areas.
McCullough described the moment she regained consciousness on the ground outside the burning building.
"There was nothing but me and fire… on the ground," McCullough said.
Now, with her children recovering, she says she is facing a long road ahead and, for the first time, is asking for help.
"Now where I need help… and I have to be okay with that," McCullough said.
Her family has set up a GoFundMe for those who would like to help. Her family is also in need of clothing and furniture donations to help them recover.
Through it all, McCullough says she remains focused on what matters most.
"All we have is us… we are what's left," McCullough said.
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