GREENFIELD, Wis. — Greenfield police and fire departments, along with the Milwaukee Fire Department, responded to the single-family home in the 4600 block of South 45th Street at 1:26 p.m. after a caller reported being unable to make contact with the resident and detecting a chemical-type odor.
Watch: Neighbors describe man found dead in Greenfield house fire
Emergency personnel entered the home, where they found the man deceased in a bedroom. The fire was contained to that same bedroom and had extinguished itself by the time crews arrived.
“To have [crews] all right in front of your house gets a little crazy,” said Michael Myers, a neighbor who watched the large police and fire department presence block off the entire roadway for most of Sunday.
The Milwaukee Fire Department hazmat team responded to the scene. No other individuals were found in the residence, and no police or fire personnel were injured during the response.
Sterling Cruz, who lives next door, said the discovery was surprising.
“We didn’t know really what the cause was for his passing. So for us to hear that there was a suspicious smell coming from that area, I mean, it was surprising, but it kind of, you know, opened our eyes a little bit,” Cruz said.
Neighbors described the deceased man as quiet and someone who kept to himself. Cruz said he last saw him right before Christmas Eve.
“He always walks down the street to, like, Walgreens or Aldi right here,” Cruz said. “And other than that, he tucks himself in.”
Myers echoed similar sentiments.
“It’s just a wave every once in a while. We never really talked. We never hung out or anything like that. He was very to himself,” Myers said.
The cause of both the fire and the man’s death remains under investigation. A joint police and fire investigation is being conducted to determine what caused the fire.
“It was just their normal fire department suits. It wasn’t like the total hazmat suit. So that was comforting,” Myers said about the emergency response.
Police say there is no ongoing safety concern for area residents. Neighbors are left with questions about the incident.
“For us, the neighbors, I mean, we send our condolences to his family. But you know, it’s definitely something that has raised an eyebrow to everyone in the neighborhood. So just answers for us and, you know, just peace of mind for everybody,” Cruz said.
The investigation is ongoing.
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