At least seven people are dead in an apartment fire in Wisconsin
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BREAKING NEWS: At least seven people have been killed in a Wisconsin apartment fire as police launch a criminal investigation
- At least seven people were killed Friday morning in a duplex in Hartland, Wisconsin
- Officials say the fire broke out at Mansfield Court in Waukesha County around 5 a.m. Friday
- The fire took place in a “four-family apartment complex,” Hartland police chief Torin Misko said Friday morning.
- The exact cause of the fire is unknown at this time, officials said
- A criminal investigation has been launched
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At least seven people have died in a morning fire at a Wisconsin apartment building.
The fire broke out at 5:11 a.m. Friday at the 700 block of Mansfield Court in Hartland, about 42 miles from Milwaukee.
According to CBS 58, at least 15 fire brigades and nine police forces came to the scene with the fire.
The group of first responders was unable to rescue at least seven people in what some have described as a duplex.
This is the “four-family apartment building” where seven people died early Friday morning in a fire in Hartland, Wisconsin
Heavy police and fire presence was seen Friday morning at Mansfield Court in the village of Hartland as officials worked to quickly extinguish a massive fire
Elaine Rojas-Castillo with TMJ4 spoke to a neighbor who said they heard a loud bang before the fire service was called to the scene.
WISNs News Chopper 12 flew over the scene earlier Friday morning and found heavy damage to the building.
A reporter in the helicopter said he also saw heavy smoke coming from the house.
Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko held a news conference Friday morning, confirming the very few details known at this time.
“We received reports of a fire in a four-family block of flats,” Misko said at the start of the briefing.
The police chief said officers and firefighters were confronted with “a large amount of fire” immediately upon arrival.
During the rescue process, Misko said they were trying to rescue individuals, both inside the building and some who hoped to be rescued “on the balconies.”
It is not clear how the fire started, but the police have launched a criminal investigation.
“It’s very early in the investigation,” Misko said, “we’re going to look at that now.”
The Wisconsin Fire Marshal’s Office has also been called in to assist with the case, Misko confirmed, along with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department, the Wisconsin Crime Lab and multiple other agencies.
“This is a tragic incident for the residents and the community involved,” an officer said at a news conference this morning.
DailyMail.com spoke to a Hartland village police representative, who confirmed that police and firefighters were still on the scene as early as noon Eastern Standard Time.
The rep confirmed that a press release with more information would be forthcoming soon, but did not share how soon that information would be available.
This is a story in development