MILWAUKEE -- Undetermined —that’s how the Milwaukee Fire Department described the cause of Sunday’s apartment fire at 45th and Hampton. Firefighters know it started in a kitchen, but they can’t pinpoint how and why.
That fire and the ugly skeleton of an apartment it left behind was just one of five fires and emergency calls the Red Cross of Wisconsin responded to Sunday.
“These disaster teams are really the life blood of what we do,” Justin Kern said.
Red Cross volunteers served about 70 people Sunday. Two of the fires happened in Milwaukee, another in Sun Praire, there was also one in Fox Lake, and one in Beloit.
"The red cross is 2,300 people that are volunteers that are trained to respond to any number of disasters or military needs across the state," Kern said.
To date, the Red Cross of Wisconsin has responded to about 90 fires —helping more than 600 people this year in Milwaukee County alone.
On average, they respond to about one fire a day across the state, but this year that response rate has nearly doubled.
