Families displaced, over 60 units damaged in Milwaukee apartment building fire

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee firefighters battled an apartment blaze at Sherman Gardens Apartments on Thursday, July 21, following reports of heavy smoke emanating from windows at the scene. The report of the fire was received just before 5:30 p.m.

While there were no reported injuries, the American Red Cross told CBS 58 that the fire reportedly displaced multiple families. More than 60 units in the building are said to have been extensively damaged.

The Red Cross estimated more than 70 people were displaced by the fire.

Shelby Watson, Darryl Bailey and Troy Love were among those who lost their homes. The three men know each other because they lived in the same building at Sherman Gardens.

"Yeah I went out there, it's destroyed. Everything I had is gone," Watson said. "This is all I got, is what I got on. I got away with my cane."

Love said he was watching TV when he noticed smoke pouring out of his kitchen. He looked around the apartment and realized the fire wasn't in his unit, but it was burning nearby.

"Next thing I know, guys are outside saying, 'Troy, get out of there, get out of there. The building's on fire,'" he said.

Despite losing everything, the men insisted they didn't want anyone's pity. Bailey said he had relatives he could stay with, but he added asking them for that favor was a last resort.

"I don't wanna be an inconvenience on my family, stuff like that," Bailey said. "I was on my own for a long time, and I like being independent."

The friends who once shared a building were now leaning on each other as they rebuild their lives. The first step in that process, they said, was accepting they can't change what happened. 

"It was a gamut of emotions, I guess, but, eventually, I just came to the realization I can't un-fire the fire," Love said.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

The Red Cross was running a shelter at the Northwest Health Center near N. 76th St. and W. Mill Rd. Jennifer Warren, a regional communications manager for the Red Cross, said four volunteers were on site helping to provide food to those who lost their home.

Anyone displaced by the fire and needs assistance is advised to call the Red Cross at (833) 583-3111.