Muskego Fire Destroys One Apartment Unit and Sends Building Residents Scrambling

Firefighters received a call shortly after 11 p.m. reporting a fire at the Lake Ridge Condominiums and Apartments on Parkland and Gregory Avenues in Muskego.  The site is located on a hill just south of Pick and Save on Janesville Road.

Jayna and Chris Eland had just laid down to sleep at 11:15 p.m. on Wednesday night when they heard somebody scream.

“We heard a chirping noise…saw a light… looked out the window,” Chris Eland said. The couple realized their building was on fire, and Jayna just had time to throw on a robe before they ran outside, the couple said.

Fire Chief Skip Wojnowski of the Tess Corners Volunteer Fire Department said no one was hurt in the blaze.  

The fire, which erupted into flames through the roof visible from Janesville Road, started in an upper unit in the southwest corner of the apartment building, Wojnowski said.

“A witness said it started on the balcony outside,” Wojnowski said, although the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.  The unit the fire occurred in was a total loss, the fire chief said.

At midnight firefighters were conducting an overhaul to make sure there were no more sparks or fires elsewhere in the building, which houses multiple apartment units.

About seven or more residents were displaced and would not be allowed back inside the building immediately, Wojnowski said.  Firefighters were retrieving necessary belongings for them. Wojnowski said he thought most residents had a place to go to spend the night. 

Hales Corners and Vernon Fire Departments also responded to the scene and were standing by as needed, Wojnowski said, and the building was to be monitored throughout the night.