Milwaukee Firefighters Rescue Woman from Hoarder House

Milwaukee firefighters rescued an elderly woman from her burning home Thursday night, fire officials said Friday.

The fire broke out just before 10 p.m. Thursday at a home at the intersection of N. 1st and W. Lloyd streets. When fire crews arrived, flames were bursting out of the first-floor window and firefighters were told a woman might be inside.

Firefighters pushed in through the rear of the house and encountered piles of debris.

“It was a hoarder house, stacked floor to ceiling, and there was only one aisle-way and the floor wasn’t even level at that point,” Deputy Chief Aaron Lipski said. “They pushed through in high heat, zero visibility.”

“I think it was nothing short of miraculous that they pulled this lady out,” he said.

The woman was found halfway through the house, on the first floor, and was rescued within minutes of the first fire company arriving on scene. A Milwaukee Fire Department paramedic unit took the woman to Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, where she was conscious and breathing on her own as of Friday morning, according to reports.

The fire was under control by about 10:30 p.m. and crews remained on scene until about 11:30 p.m. Investigators estimated about $100,000 in loss at the home, with most of the damage on the first floor.

The cause remains under investigation and no working smoke detectors were found in the home, Lipski sad.

The rescue capped a busy day for the fire department, which had responded to three other dwelling fires on Thursday. No injuries were reported in those fires.