Milwaukee apartment building not up-to-date with inspections prior to elevator fire

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee apartment building that had a fire in its elevator shaft this week was behind on its elevator inspections.

20 people were displaced from their homes because of Monday's fire at Lakeside Apartments near Marshall and Juneau. 

People who live in the building say they heard the elevator fall four stories.

Officials with the Milwaukee Fire Department say they don't know if the fire caused the elevator failure or the failure sparked the fire.

City records show the last elevator inspection was in January 2016.

A spokesperson for the city's Department of Neighborhood Services told CBS 58 elevators must be inspected annually, and "the responsibility to maintain a certified elevator rests with the property owner."

A voicemail left for the building's operations manager went unreturned.

Other systems inside the building are up to date.

The city spokesperson said "the building passed all recent annual fire inspections. The fire alarm system test also passed inspection on September 17, 2018. These life safety inspections contributed to a lack of injury or fatality."

There were no injuries in the fire.

It's unclear how many people are still out of their apartments.