Hampton Avenue at 32nd Street could be closed two weeks after massive building fire; woman arrested

A 22-year-old woman has been arrested in connection to the massive fire at the vacant building near 32nd and Hampton Avenue. 

Because the building is set to be demolished, the affected portion of Hampton Avenue near Lincoln Creek could be closed for two weeks.

The Milwaukee Fire Department has spent nearly 24 hours at the site after the fire broke out Wednesday afternoon, determining the building is no longer safe to be in. 

No injuries were reported, but Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said there have been multiple incidents at the building. Lipski added that no electricity or gas is being fed into the building. 

Police said the woman “handled burning material which caused a vacant building to start on fire.”

The late Bishop Sedgwick Daniels of Holy Redeemer purchased the building prior to his death in 2023. His sister, Valerie Daniels-Carter, the church’s senior executive pastor, said in a statement to media outlets that Daniels had plans to convert the building into affordable housing, office space and a hotel. 

Daniels-Carter said the building had once served as a warehouse and was among the last remaining structures from the original 32nd Street industrial tannery complex.

“The building carried both historical and sentimental significance within the continuing narrative of our ministry and community development efforts,” Daniels-Carter said.

Ald. Andrea Pratt said in a statement that commuters should find alternate routes as Hampton Avenue at 32nd Street remains closed and the structure is set to be demolished beginning Friday. 

The removal process could take up to 15 days and the street will remain closed, Pratt added. 

The Milwaukee Health Department is monitoring air quality at the site. 

“We are very lucky that no one was injured or killed in this catastrophic fire and partial building collapse, and I want to thank the Milwaukee Fire Department for their efforts in battling the flames and getting the chaotic scene under control,” Pratt said. “I ask residents for patience as the demolition and debris removal moves forward.”