Milwaukee man in critical condition after house fire; wife recounts rescue attempt

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - A Milwaukee man is in critical condition after a house fire on the city’s northwest side Friday night near 76th and Silver Spring.

Family members identified the man as 44-year-old Michael Powell.

He was found unconscious inside the home and rushed to a hospital, where he remains in the ICU with smoke inhalation.

Powell’s wife, Casandra Moore, said she was working at a gas station across the street when the fire started.

“A young lady came banging on the window and said that my house was on fire,” she said.

Moore ran outside and saw flames already tearing through the home.

“Flames were coming out the whole top and I put my key in to open the door and the fire pushed me back out and I knew my husband was in there,” she said.

Moore said her husband had been asleep inside. With no time to wait, she tried to reach him herself.

“I ran to the front of the house and started busting out the bedroom window because I was trying to save him,” she said. “When I was screaming his name the smoke came out full force and it pushed me back to where I couldn’t see in there. It was so dark, I couldn’t see anything.”

Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke, forced their way inside and found Powell unconscious.

“The fire department went in and had to rescue him out and when he came out his body was limp,” Moore said.

The couple’s home is now a total loss. Two cats also died in the fire.

Moore said she was told the fire may have started in the kitchen and could be electrical.

“Electrical fire. We should have taken care of it a while ago, but we didn’t have the funds to have an electrician come in and do it,” she said.

As her husband fights for his life, Moore said she is asking for prayers and support.

Moore has started a GoFundMe to help with his recovery, if you want to help, you can click the link here.