Milwaukee firefighters battle building fire in freezing conditions

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Firefighters responded to a fire in a vacant building near 17th and Atkinson early Friday, Dec. 5, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.

The call came in around 2:30 a.m. with fire showing on the front of the building, said Deputy Chief Travis Jones. Crews searched the building for victims and found no one inside. As the fire grew, officials upgraded the response to a second alarm.

The fire started to impact an adjacent occupied building, leading crews to evacuate residents. Milwaukee police and Milwaukee County Transit System provided buses for those residents.

Jones said freezing conditions created challenges as water pooled and froze on the ground. The city brought in salt trucks to keep areas safe for firefighters.

Crews were able to protect the adjacent building by placing a hose line between the two structures, and the occupied building does not appear to have significant damage, according to Jones.

"The building, at this time, doesn't appear to have very much damage to it," said Chief Jones. "We were able to put a line between the building that was on fire and the one it was kind of impinging on, to try to protect that exposure. And we got all the people out, so hopefully that building is in good condition."

The fire investigation team will examine the buildings.