MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee man and his family are now without a place to stay during this holiday season following a house fire near 30th and Concordia.
The fire took place on Dec. 2 around 6 p.m.
“I was remodeling the house. I was slowly getting it together,” said Miguel Viramontes-Taylor, the homeowner.
He said he was working hard to provide a good holiday for his girlfriend and stepchildren this Christmas. Now, their most essential possession, their home, is gone.
“I came home and I noticed that the house was smoking,” Viramontes-Taylor said.
Fire crews said much of the property was destroyed. His girlfriend and stepchildren were gone at the time for the fire. The family did lose a longtime pet, however.
“My dog. He was in there. He was on the upper level,” he said.
Sancho, Viramontes-Taylor's dog of almost seven years, was gone.
At the house, a candle memorial is set up in the room where he was found.
“It was hard knowing this is where they found him,” Viramontes-Taylor said.
Milwaukee Fire Dept. says the cause of the fire is still being investigated. Viramontes-Taylor is looking into it as well and questions if it could’ve been suspicious.
The only clue is a gaping hole from the middle of the living room through to the basement. It’s believed to be where it started.
In the meantime, he’s starting over, from a motel with his family and kids, who themselves have a lot of questions about what happened.
“They’re wondering why we’re not home. Where's their stuff? Where's the Christmas tree? Where’s Sancho? I don’t really know what to tell them,” Viramontes-Taylor said.
Viramontes-Taylor's sister created a GoFundMe to help deal with any costs. Viramontes-Taylor, who purchased the home in April, said he did not have insurance when asked.
You can visit the GoFundMe here.
