The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A Wisconsin woman was accused of accidentally starting a massive fire at an abandoned warehouse that reportedly caused nearly $1 million in damage and led to the demolition of the building.
According to a criminal complaint, the fire broke out on May 20 at a condemned four-story warehouse in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Fire Department reportedly responded after several 911 callers reported smoke coming from the structure around 6:10 p.m. Because the building had been declared unsafe to enter, firefighters battled the blaze from outside the property. The fire later grew into a five-alarm fire, and part of the structure collapsed. The damage was so severe that the building eventually had to be torn down.
The authorities said surveillance footage showed four people arriving at the property earlier that afternoon. Investigators said the group, made up of one woman and three men, entered the property around 4:19 p.m. and stayed there for more than an hour. At one point, a witness allegedly confronted the group and told them to leave the private property, and they were later seen walking away.