A devastating fire in a four-story Milwaukee apartment building on Mother's Day resulted in four fatalities and numerous injuries. With roughly 30 residents rescued, those inside faced intense smoke and flames, causing many to jump from windows. Fire Chief Aaron Lipski noted the absence of a sprinkler system in the building, built prior to safety laws, which may have mitigated the disaster. The fire began in a common area around 8 a.m., leaving the 85-unit building uninhabitable and displacing around 200 residents, many of whom required medical treatment for their escape efforts.
"If we had sprinklers in the building we would have stopped the fire very, very small. We would not of had to have people jumping out of windows," he said.
"There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack," Rubinstein told television station FOX6 Milwaukee.
"I wasn't thinking about nothing but getting away. Getting out and saving everyone's life. It was a scary moment," Edwards told WISN.
The first firefighters to arrive were 'far, far outmatched' by intense flames, Lipski said.
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