A building fire on northwest Milwaukee damaged 18 apartment units on the night of the Fourth of July.
Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the fire, at 6279 N. 84th St., just before 11 p.m., said Deputy Chief Travis Jones. The fire injured one person, who was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Jones said he couldn't confirm reports from other local media that fireworks caused the fire and said the determination was still under investigation. He confirmed that fireworks were "definitely" in the area.
"Even without the Deputy Chief’s confirmation, it was abundantly clear to anyone nearby that fireworks were being set off at an unacceptable rate," Alderman Mark Chambers Jr. said in a statement. "And these aren’t your basic bottle rockets or sparklers, but rather high-grade explosive fireworks.
"Every year seemingly more and more people throughout the city partake in firework celebrations outside of those sanctioned by the city, which can lead to injury, destruction of property and decreased quality of life for neighbors."
Chambers called on the Legislature to perhaps revisit the regulation of commercial, high-grade explosives before "irreparable damage" is caused.
Milwaukee Police Department said in a statement it wasn't involved with the investigation.
"Any information regarding fire shall come from (Milwaukee Fire Department) unless they are an arson," the department said in a statement. "This fire is not an arson."
The Red Cross was assisting the families who were displaced from the fire, said Laura McGuire, a spokesperson for the organization. She said that affected residents should call the organization at 800-733-2767 and can go to the local office for food and water at 2600 W. Wisconsin Ave.
McGuire said that the Red Cross will assess each family on an individual basis to determine other assistance.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: July 4 apartment fire in northwest Milwaukee affects 18 homes
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