Milwaukee Apartment Fire Claims Five; Others Jump, Rescued

    May 12, 2025
    Firefighters crawled on their hands and knees to find trapped residents, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said.

    Five people were killed and others were seriously injured jumping out of windows to escaped a massive building fire Sunday.

    Emerald Gransberry was one of those rescued by Milwaukee firefighters.

    "When I opened the door, the whole hallway was in flames. I never made it out of the apartment I was rescued from the bedroom window," Gransberry told CBS 58.

    "You got people jumping out of the building, people jumping off the fourth floor," he said, adding that residents were tying bedsheets together to help them escape.

    Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said some firefighters crawled on their hands and knees to find people trapped while others used aerial ladders.

    The 85-unit apartment complex was built in 1968, before before sprinkler systems were required by law.

    “If we had sprinklers in the buidling we would have stopped the fire very, very small. We would not of had to have people jumping out of windows,” he told NBC. 

    Firefighters suspect the fire started in a common area on the third floor.

     

     

    Crews were called to the scene just before 8 a.m. Sunday near 27th Street and Highland Boulevard. Subscribe to WISN on YouTube now for more: http://bit.ly/1emE5YX Get more Milwaukee news: http://www.wisn.com Like us: http://www.facebook.com/wisn12 Follow us: http://twitter.com/WISN12News Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisn12news/
    About the Author

    Susan Nicol | News Editor

    Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues. 

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