6 dead in apartment fire in Wisconsin

An "active criminal investigation" is underway, police said.

October 21, 2022, 4:28 PM

Six people died in a fire at a Wisconsin apartment building early Friday, according to police.

Police earlier reported that seven people had died.

The blaze was reported around 5 a.m. at a four-family apartment building in Hartland, which is about 26 miles west of Milwaukee. Fifteen fire departments and nine police departments responded to the scene and worked to rescue people from the building and its balconies, Hartland police said at a news conference.

PHOTO: Several people have died in a deadly fire at a Hartland, Wisconsin, apartment building, Oct. 21, 2022.
Several people have died in a deadly fire at a Hartland, Wisconsin, apartment building, Oct. 21, 2022.
WISN
PHOTO: Several people have died in a deadly fire at a Hartland, Wisconsin, apartment building, Oct. 21, 2022.
Several people have died in a deadly fire at a Hartland, Wisconsin, apartment building, Oct. 21, 2022.
WISN

An "active criminal investigation" is now underway, police said. Asked by a reporter if there's any indication the blaze was started on purpose, police responded that it's "very early on in investigation stages -- that’s what we're looking into."

The victims' names and ages were not immediately released.