Crime & Public Safety
Milwaukee U-Haul storage building fires investigated; causes undetermined for January blaze
Two separate fires at a U-Haul Moving & Storage facility near 1st and Lapham in Milwaukee were the subject of Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) investigations, the reports show. The first incident occurred on Jan. 21 and escalated to a five-alarm response; MFD investigators later described cold temperatures, winds and void spaces within the buildings as complicating firefighting efforts. The second blaze happened on April 6 and was reported as a two-alarm fire in a different area of the complex.
MFD investigators interviewed facility employees about the January fire; according to the report, two employees said they heard “what sounded like fireworks going off,” then discovered fire, left the building and called 911. The January report listed a hypothesized ignition of “open flame/spark from heat” but said investigators were “unable to rule out multiple other competent ignition sources” and left the cause classified as “under investigation” when the report was completed on April 19.
The April report listed “electrical malfunction” as the probable ignition source and noted investigators were “unable to rule out responsibility of human fault,” describing the possibility of “an intentional action with negligence or reckless conduct.” The reports also document that after the January fire, electric service was not restored by the utility; the property owner arranged temporary generators and that fire detection and sprinkler systems were out of service.
Current status in the reports: the January fire cause remained under investigation as of the April report, while the April fire report assigned a probable electrical ignition but noted unresolved questions about human involvement. No hazardous materials were reported in the facility in the investigation files.
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