MILWAUKEE — A fire blazed on Milwaukee’s east side Sunday night at the Cambridge Apartments building. It’s a senior living community.
The fire displaced 53 people from their homes and 91 apartment units were affected.
Amid the damage, the American Red Cross of Wisconsin stepped in to help.
Jen Warren is the regional communications director of American Red Cross of Wisconsin. She said the uprooted tenants stayed at the Clinton and Bernice Rose Senior Center on Sunday night.
The Cambridge tenants were moved to the south side of Milwaukee on Monday afternoon.
Warren said Red Cross volunteers have provided help and hope.
“Our Red Cross volunteers arrive on site when there is a fire like this and they provide shelters like these. They provide a safe place to stay, food, water, comfort and care,” said Warren.
Warren said sometimes the best thing you can give to someone in drastic need is an open ear.
“A lot of times it’s just sitting and talking with people about what they have been through and them telling their story and that’s helpful to them,” said Warren.
It’s help that resident Anthony Clark said he is grateful for. He said he doesn’t take it for granted.
“Life is a gift, it’s not a given. It’s a gift and you have to cherish every moment you have, and you can’t panic when things happen. You have to keep a cool booty, as I say,” said Clark.
It’s a phrase Clark plans to keep reminding himself and his neighbors as they build their lives back up after the fire.
