Furniture store fire displaces neighbors
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) – The search continues in the aftermath of a 3-alarm fire that broke out in a furniture store Saturday, April 13th, on Milwaukee’s southside.
That same fire has also displaced two neighboring families.
Investigators spent the day Monday looking into the cause. Luckily no one was injured, but the impact of the fire has displaced two families who lived in a duplex next door.
“The Red Cross and everybody was here and were very helpful,” says Victor Esparza who lived in the upper unit. “They helped me get into the house and get what I could carry.”
Esparza, his fiancé, and their three children were not home at the time of the fire. He says it was around seven when they returned and found the block was taped off as the Furniture Deport was in flames.
After several hours of battling the flames, firefighters accompanied the family to salvage items.
With a fourth child on the way, and with the limited items he was able to salvage, Esparza says he can’t thank the community enough for the outpouring of support.
“It’s been amazing,” says Esparza. “Random strangers have been coming to drop-off stuff, being so helpful, and supportive. Anything that we needed, even clothes for the baby on the way.”
The family says they’re working with the property managers to find a new home.
In the meantime, they say they’re grateful no one was hurt.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.