Body cam and 911 calls show crews rescue, fight flames at Bayside apartment

BAYSIDE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Newly released body camera video shows crews fighting flames at the Bayside apartment complex Saturday. In emergency dispatch calls, people can hear the moment fire crews were working to rescue people trying to escape the flames.

Officials said they received multiple 911 calls around 12:15 a.m. early Saturday morning at the White Oaks apartment complex. The apartment building has 62 units with three stories and is one of several buildings in the complex.

When firefighters arrived there were multiple people on balconies who had to be rescued. Some tenants were rescued by ladders off their balconies. Others were rescued by going through the actual apartments with firefighters. At least 15 people had to be rescued from the White Oaks apartment complex over the weekend.

The fire department says they don’t have an official cause of the fire, but they do know it started on the first-floor balcony and quickly spread to all 62 units. However, they do not believe it was suspicious.

In 2016 the building received two fire code violations for grills on balconies and nonfunctioning exit lights. In 2018, the building had a violation for a damaged fire door. There were no sprinklers in the area where the tenants lived.