Overview
- Firefighters rescued eight people, including two infants, from a Feb. 1 blaze near 77th Street and Green Tree Road, with two others suffering broken legs after jumping and the building now deemed unlivable.
- The Milwaukee Fire Department said the fire began in a first-floor hallway that blocked the main exit and confirmed the building had no sprinkler system.
- Wisconsin requires sprinklers only in buildings constructed after 1974, leaving many older multi-family properties exempt under a grandfather clause.
- Fire Chief Aaron Lipski is pressing for statewide sprinkler requirements and is working on a city database to flag buildings without sprinklers so dispatchers can send extra crews, a step backed by firefighter leadership.
- Democrats proposed a $10 million grant covering up to 50% of retrofit costs, but the plan lacks bipartisan support as landlord representatives cite $5,000–$10,000 per-unit costs, potential small-operator failures, and a citywide price tag approaching $1 billion.