A rash of apartment fires in Milwaukee and across the state displaced more than 500 people in January alone, leaving the American Red Cross of Wisconsin in dire need of additional resources to help them.
Officials with the Red Cross and the city of Milwaukee held a news conference Thursday to appeal to the public for help after 68 fires displaced 519 people in the region last month. That includes the 105 people left without shelter following a fire that killed one person Jan. 28 on Milwaukee’s south side.
“As a heavily volunteer-driven organization, our resources are stretched thin,” said Mark Thomas, the regional CEO of the American Red Cross. “These fires are going to result in tremendous financial strain on the Red Cross and our community, probably well into the six figures.”