Milwaukee arson near 1st and Concordia, family displaced
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee police are investigating an arson that destroyed a vacant property and damaged the home next door early Tuesday morning, May 21.
Officials said no injuries were reported. However, a family of four was displaced – and is frustrated that the property where the fire started wasn't demolished long ago.
"Out of nowhere," said Christopher Estrada, whose girlfriend lives in the home. "Fire started out of nowhere."
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Emergency crews were called to the scene near 1st and Concordia around 3:45 a.m. The vacant property where the fire broke out appears to be a total loss. Flames spread to and damaged the Gutierrez family's home next door.
"I was about to leave to go to my house, and all of a sudden I see an orange glow," Estrada said. "There was already the siding, everything burnt up – I started hearing the glass breaking."
Estrada said the vacant property has a fence, but it's "wide open, so anyone can go in and squat."
"Everything is burnt. My new clothes are burnt, my memory books with my photos of family are gone," said Mixwell Gutierrez, who is now displaced. "Everything that we bought and put hard work in."
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The Gutierrez family, along with their dog, are now without a home. They are getting help from the Red Cross, but the family feels it is something that should never have happened in the first place.
"They could’ve prevented it, knowing how close that house was to our house," Gutierrez said.
The city owns the vacant property. It’s part of the "Raze & Revive" initiative, which aims to address a backlog of blighted, city-owned homes that need to be demolished. However, the Department of Public Works and Department of Neighborhood Services told FOX6 that, until a gas line is disconnected and they recieve proper paperwork, there is no set date for when it will come down.
"It was brand new, my dad fixed everything," Gutierrez said. "He didn’t get a contractor, he didn’t do anything like that – he worked it with his bare hands."
While it is not the first time Gutierrez said the vacant property has caused issues, this time, it cost the family a lot.
MPD is looking for whoever is responsible. Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at 414-935-7360; to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 tips app.
