After devastating U-Haul fire, renters share what was lost and cannot be replaced

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- As the cleanup continues after a massive fire at a Milwaukee storage facility, we're hearing more from people who lost their possessions.

They tell us they're coping with the loss of valuable belongings and bracing for an uncertain insurance process.

One renter said it's a waiting game, for now. The fire is still being investigated, so until responsibility is determined, insurance claims are on hold.

Hazel Jones rented one of the storage units that was involved in the fire. After she saw it on social media, she reached out to her husband. "He said, 'It's a U-Haul.' And I said, 'Wouldn't it be funny if it was ours?' But it wasn't funny because it was ours."

They soon realized their storage unit was among those completely destroyed in a massive fire at the U-Haul facility. Almost all their furniture was in there. Hazel expects nothing will be left.

She also stored a lot of items for her organization that helps families who lose a child during pregnancy and infancy

Jones said, "There are people who reach out to us every day saying, 'Hey, we need burial gowns, bereavement support materials."

Now she cannot help people as quickly as she did before.

And she says while people are understanding, "It makes us feel like we're letting people down."

Hazel said U-Haul told her everyone has to wait because they haven't been able to assess the damage yet.

And she doesn't know what private insurance will cover. "We were told, 'Well this depends on the outcome of U-Haul's investigation as to who's to blame.

But Hazel isn't the only one. She estimates 100 people rented storage units, including her son, a National Guard soldier stationed at Ft. McCoy.

Jones said, "I texted him because I couldn't call him. Told him what was going on. And his first response was, 'You've got to be joking, right?'"

Private Crawford finished basic training last July and used his Army bonus to buy new furniture in anticipation of renting his first apartment.

Jones said, "I went with him and he was so proud and then it's like 'it's gone.'"

Crawford's father passed away last January. Many personal and sentimental items like a guitar and work tools were in the storage unit. "Those memories he has from his father have perished, too," Jones told us.

As the investigation continues, Hazel said she's unsure what or if insurance might cover.

But she said while it may feel like the end of the world to lose everything, she knows they'll get through it.