Apartment Fire on Elder Street

A fire in a second-floor apartment building was brought quickly under control Sunday morning. 

The City of Waukesha Fire Department was sent to 1709 Elder STreet at 10:43 a.m., and arrived on scene four minutes later. Firefighters found a working fire in a second-floor bedroom.

Fire crews made an aggressive attack, according to a press release from the department, quickly bringing the fire under control. Crews from Stations one and four worked to extinguish the blaze. 

Fire damage was limited to the bedroom where the fire began, with smoke damage throughout the apartment. 

The cause of the blaze has not been definitively determined. 

The press release states a 4-year-old boy was playing in the bedroom by himself and alerted the family that there was a fire on top of the bed. The residents called 911 and threw a blanket on the flames in an attempt to smother the fire. They then waited elsewhere for firefighters to arrive.

The fire did not spread to any neighboring units. No one was injured in the fire. 

Police and fire investigators confirmed the fire started in the bedroom where the boy had been playing, but an email from the department said the boy has since changed his story. The boy originally said he was playing with a light on top of the bed, but later said he was not doing that.

Damage is estimated at $15,000 to the building and contents; the assessed value of the propert pre-fire was more than $500,000. The Red Cross was contacted to help the family with temporary accomodations.