MILWAUKEE — Several people were injured in an apartment fire at a Milwaukee senior living complex Tuesday afternoon, with an 81-year-old woman hospitalized after suffering smoke inhalation and requiring resuscitation at the scene.
Milwaukee police are investigating the incident as arson and said they are seeking a known suspect.
The fire started just before 2 p.m. at New Hampton Apartments, located at 22nd and Hampton on Milwaukee's north side. Firefighters rescued several residents from the second and third floors of the large complex, which houses hundreds of people in 230 units.
"It’s mostly elderly people in here," said Jakuley Williams. "I saw a lot of people jumping out the windows."
The fire displaced residents in 80 of the building's 230 units, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Fire Chief Aaron Lipski and Milwaukee Mayor expressed frustration that the large building lacks sprinkler systems, despite housing hundreds of residents.
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"It is kind of a little frustrating, but it's just like, yeah, it could have been sprinklers here, so maybe it's time for them to get together and put sprinklers in here? So it won't happen again because we did have an incident happen about like a year ago due to electric problems," resident Williams said.
According to fire department regulations, sprinklers have been required in all apartments housing four or more families since 1973. City records show the New Hampton Apartments building was constructed in 1979.
Watch: Arson suspected in fire at apartment complex with history of failed inspections, lack of sprinklers
A review of city records revealed additional fire safety concerns at the property. Department of Neighborhood Services records show building owners failed an inspection in November 2024, with inspectors flagging missing fire extinguishers and smoke alarms with low batteries that were chirping.
The building was re-inspected at the end of December and failed again.
"I have no idea how we upend an entire system that gains profit from people but doesn't provide them a safe living environment. I don't know how you fix that. We have to keep pushing for legislation to put some teeth in this entire process," Lipski said.
Anyone with information should contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-Tips or P3 Tips App.
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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