1987 — Sep 30, Residence Fire, Milwaukee, WI — 12
— 12 National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996.
— 12 NFPA. The U.S. Fire Problem Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007). 2008
— 12 NFPA. U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. December 2008, p. 26.
— 12 USFA. Four House Fires that Killed 28 Children (USFA-TR-020). December 1987, 1.
Narrative Information
USFA: “At approximately 0442 on September 30, 1987, the Milwaukee Fire Department received a public telephone alarm from an unknown person advising the dispatcher of a residential fire at 1738 North 23rd Street. Thus began the most tragic residential house fire in the city’s history. The pre-dawn blaze killed 12 people, 10 of whom were children under the age of nine. Three adult occupants escaped unassisted….
“That a total of 15 people occupied the property at the time of the fire points to one of the major reasons why this fire took such a toll and serves as a sad reminder that poverty and overcrowding create an especially dangerous potential for disaster. Moreover, the home had no smoke detectors and a high fire loading in large part due to the bedding, clothes, and other household items of the 15 occupants. An open stairwell to the second floor enabled the fire and smoke to travel unimpeded from the first floor – trapping the occupants.” (USFA. Four House Fires that Killed 28 Children, 1987)
“Had working smoke detectors been present it is likely that at least some lives would have been saved. Neighbors heard cries for help. Some of the occupants had awakened and succeeded in escaping. The adults and most of the children who died were found in locations other than their beds, indicating that they too had been aroused from sleep and had made an attempt to flee the fire. With more lead time the number of survivors likely would have been greater. The lesson of how critical smoke detectors are to saving lives is taught once again in this fire and in the others discussed later in this report….
Three weeks before the fire a city building inspector, responding to complaints from the home’s principal tenant, checked conditions and noted over 20 code violations. Most of the violations, however, posed no immediate threat. The inspector also was reported by the local press to have mentioned after the fire that detectors were absent, but that fact was not included in the list of repairs and improvements cited in the inspector’s report. Whether the inspector did or did not note the absence of detectors is a subject of controversy. The owner of the building claimed that the house had had two functioning smoke detectors – one upstairs and one downstairs, but evidence of them was not found….” (USFA. Four House Fires that Killed 28 Children, 1987, 6)
“The cause of the pre-dawn blaze in the 93-year-old wood frame house has not been determined. The house was not equipped with smoke detectors. A Milwaukee city ordinance requires smoke detectors in all homes built before 1980; occupants were responsible for detector installation in rental properties such as the house in this incident….
“At the time of the fire, the house was occupied by 15 people, five adults and 10 children, most of whom were related. The main tenant was in the process of getting settled after moving north from southern Florida. Her sisters and brother, and seven of their children, had joined her and her two children in Milwaukee. A friend and another friend’s child were also staying there at the time. The fire killed two of the adults and all 10 children….” (USFA. Four House Fires that Killed 28 Children, 1987.)
“All the victims died of smoke inhalation, according to the medical examiner. Carbon monoxide levels ranged from 60-90 percent – much higher than the 45-50 percent considered lethal.” (USFA. Four House Fires that Killed 28 Children, 1987, p. 8)
Sources
National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at: http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1
National Fire Protection Association. The U.S. Fire Problem. “Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007).” Quincy, MA: NFPA, April 2008 update. Accessed at: http://www.nfpa.org:80/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=953&itemID=30981&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/The%20U.S.%20fire%20problem
National Fire Protection Association (John Hall, Jr.). U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 31 pages, December 2008.
United States Fire Administration. Four House Fires that Killed 28 Children (USFA-TR-020). Emmitsburg, MD: National Fire Data Center, USFA, FEMA, December 1987, 112 pages. Accessed at: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-020.pdf