A joyful Mother’s Day turned into tragedy as a horrific fire killed four while residents jumped from windows in a building that lacked basic sprinkler systems.
See the tweets below.
While trying to escape the inferno that ripped through the 85-unit apartment complex, firefighters battled flames that had already spread to multiple floors.
The devastating blaze began in a four-story apartment building common area near 27th Street and Highland Boulevard in Milwaukee’s Concordia neighborhood.
Fire crews responded just before 8 a.m. on Sunday to find residents trapped and others already jumping from second-floor windows to escape the rapidly spreading flames.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the first firefighters on scene were “far, far outmatched” by the intense fire.
Despite being overwhelmed, brave first responders used ladder trucks to rescue residents and crawled inside the smoke-filled building to evacuate approximately 30 people.
Authorities say four people are dead and four others were critically injured after a Mother's Day at an Milwaukee apartment building fire. https://t.co/nlCGR5LmHO
— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) May 12, 2025
The apartment complex, built in 1968, had no sprinkler system that could have prevented the disaster.
At the same time, Chief Lipski did not mince words about how this lack of basic fire safety infrastructure directly contributed to the loss of life.
“If we had sprinklers in the building we would have stopped the fire very, very small. We would not have had to have people jumping out of windows,” he said.
The fire claimed four lives, sent four others to the hospital in critical condition, and left approximately 200 people homeless.
Many survivors escaped with only the clothes on their backs, and some clutching beloved pets.
James Rubinstein, a resident who managed to get out alive, described the harrowing experience of navigating through thick, deadly smoke.
“There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack,” Rubinstein recounted of his desperate escape.
Chief Lipski pointed out a glaring regulatory failure that continues to put American lives at risk.
Even though building codes have advanced significantly since 1968, many older structures have been grandfathered in and are not required to install modern fire safety systems that save lives.
Photos: The scene of a fatal apartment fire on Milwaukee's near west side https://t.co/KX2CGTEfur
— Journal Sentinel (@journalsentinel) May 12, 2025
“Nobody was required to go back in and make that building fire safe,” Lipski stated bluntly. “I have four fatalities here today. I’m not sure what people think is more expensive right now.”
The identities and ages of the victims have not yet been released as authorities work to notify family members.
Moreover, the American Red Cross has stepped in to assist those displaced or in need of support following the tragedy.
The Milwaukee Fire Department expressed both condolences for the victims and gratitude to the first responders from multiple municipalities who rushed to help.
Investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the fire, though authorities are confident it will be identified.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents are left to rebuild their lives after losing their homes and possessions on what should have been a day of celebration for mothers across America.
