Five Dead in Apartment Blaze, Residents Jump for Their Lives [WATCH]

A fire that broke out early Sunday morning at a four-story apartment building in Milwaukee left five people dead, three others critically injured, and displaced approximately 200 residents, according to local authorities, as reported by The New York Post.

The blaze began shortly before 8 a.m. on Mother’s Day and quickly spread through the 85-unit complex, prompting residents to jump from windows to escape the flames.

Fire crews rescued around 30 people using ladders and entered the building to search for others who were trapped.

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Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said firefighters were met with extreme conditions when they arrived.

“The first firefighters to arrive were far, far outmatched,” Lipski said during a press briefing. “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.”

The building, constructed in 1968, did not have a sprinkler system. According to Chief Lipski, it predates state laws requiring such safety systems in multi-story residential buildings.

Residents described harrowing scenes as they tried to escape. James Rubinstein, a resident of the complex, said he jumped to the ground floor to flee the heavy smoke.

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“There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack,” Rubinstein told FOX6 Milwaukee.

Another resident, Eddie Edwards, also jumped from a window. “I wasn’t thinking about nothing but getting away,” Edwards told WISN. “Getting out and saving everyone’s life. It was a scary moment.”

The fire reportedly began in a common area of the building and quickly extended to multiple floors. Emergency dispatchers received numerous calls about people trapped inside and others jumping from windows.

While several residents were treated for minor injuries, five people were confirmed dead and three others remained in critical condition as of Sunday evening. Authorities have not yet released the names or ages of the victims.

In an update Monday morning, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said a fifth person died from injuries sustained in the fire after being taken to a nearby hospital by a paramedic unit.

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City officials confirmed that the building has been rendered uninhabitable and are working with local agencies to find shelter for the approximately 200 residents displaced by the fire.

Fire investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the blaze.

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