Apartment Complex Arson Investigation Continues, Dozens of Tenants Move Out

Wednesday was move-out day for some renters at Milwaukee's Imperial Apartments. It's the site of an on-going arson investigation where a fire displaced as many as 60 people.

The arson investigation is on-going and a decision on if a man will be charged will happen soon, Milwaukee police said.

While authorities have not named who that person-of-interest is - tenants say firefighters told them its a former building manager.

Milwaukee firefighters say the fire started in the basement of the Imperial Apartment's North building on Appleton Avenue.

They evacuated renters around 7 a.m. and would later go to work putting out flames that crept between the building's first and second floor.

Two units are worse than others but around 30 have significant smoke damage, Wisconsin Red Cross disaster responders said.

Tenants who were collecting their things on Wednesday said they would not be allowed to stay because it would take between three and six months to fix the damage.

"I work two jobs and it's very stressful because I have been going to work because I have clothes at a family members house. But it's very stressful. It's also stressful because, you know, we pay a lot of money for rent. And I work hard for the items I have in my house and it's just sad," Tatiana Woody said.

Some of the renters said they are trying to transfer to other apartments that are owned by the same management company.

In the meantime some tenants have been receiving help from the Red Cross with food and hotel money. Wisconsin Red Cross officials said they have spent about $16,000 dollars helping people who've been displaced from this fire alone.
 

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