Milwaukee fire crews battle flames, roof collapse at southside building
Flames could be seen pouring from the building near S. 13th St. at Layton Ave. Wednesday evening.
A mixed-use two-story building that included a three-bedroom unit and a former eatery that has been boarded up and put for sale in Springfield Gardens burned down early Monday morning.
The property that included Catfish Soulfood Cafe located at 147-07 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., which was known for selling fish, chips, wings and waffles next to a small parking lot, suffered a three-alarm blaze, which was called in on Dec. 29 at about 12:07 a.m., according to the FDNY. The fire was reported to have possibly started on the second floor.
Units arrived to find fire on both the second and first floors of the wood-frame building, which was believed to be unoccupied, according to a post on the Fire Department’s X page.
“Members initiated an aggressive interior attack, but the fire was extending rapidly,” said Deputy Assistant Chief Tim Keenan via X. “It got into the walls and the cockloft, and eventually we had fire through the roof.”
Rapidly expanding fire conditions resulted in the incident commander ordering firefighters out of the building and transitioning service operations to an exterior attack using two tower ladders.
“The main body of fire has been knocked down, but there is significant damage to the building,” Keenan continued.
Sixty-three units with 192 fire and EMS personnel were sent to help, said the FDNY.
Despite the building being reported as vacant at the time of the fire, the American Red Cross of Greater New York’s Disaster Action Team did respond to offer relocation services for people in the surrounding area, but it did not receive any requests for assistance.
Days before the blaze, the Red Cross issued a warning, saying that fire responses spike by nearly 20 percent nationwide during the holidays and people should be careful as cooking and heating fire risks are higher. It also said to take extra care with hanging decorations, especially if they involve candles, trees or flammable objects.
To learn more helpful tips, visit redcross.org/holidayfiresafety.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by fire marshals.
The Department of Buildings said its personnel were called to conduct a structural stability inspection after the fire. Inspectors observed extensive fire damage throughout the entire building and said the roof completely collapsed.
A full vacate order was issued and the DOB also ordered a tight board fence be erected around the structure due to the risk of further collapse.
The DOB placed a partial vacate order at the adjacent property at 178-07 147 Ave., due to risk of collapse from the remaining structure on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, which was listed for sale for $888,000 by Winzone Realty, according to Zillow, an online real estate company.
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