Overnight house fire near 17th Street and Greenfield Avenue displaces 15 people

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Fifteen people are without a home this morning after a late night fire in their south side Milwaukee house.

Milwaukee Fire Department was called out around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night to a rear cottage near S 17th Street and W Greenfield Avenue. According to MFD, the fire was in the attic of the 2 1/2 story building. The two families who lived inside the home managed to get out safely before fire crews arrived. 

One mother who lived inside the building said her son started the fire. 

"My son threw something in the garbage and turned the fire up. He was playing with another child," said the mother. 

MFD had the fire under control within 25 minutes. Firefighters also stopped by surrounding homes to warn families about the fire.

"The firefighters rang by bell, my grandson woke us up and I started to say 'get out, get out,'" said Pauline Scott, neighbor. 

The Red Cross was called to assist the five adults and ten children. No one was injured. 

The mother of eight is working on picking up the pieces. She lost her home and now she is trying to free her son who was arrested for his connection to the fire. 

"He's just a child, he was playing with fire. He's not the first kid playing with fire," said the mother. 

According to MFD, the estimate of damage is not available and the cause of the fire is under investigation.