Hartland residents gather at Nixon Park to grieve the deaths of six people lost in an apartment fire
HARTLAND — A fire at a four-family apartment building in the village of Hartland killed six people early Friday morning, officials said.
As the chaotic scene was still unfolding, the Village of Hartland made a Facebook post where they asked residents to gather away from the scene, at Nixon Park, if they were looking to grieve. Around 20 people showed up.
Arlene Phelps said she brought her daughter to Nixon Park because her daughter attended Arrowhead High School with one of the victims, a teenage girl. “They just had homecoming last week, and now this,” Phelps said.
“(My daughter) just needed to come out to start grieving,” Phelps said. “Like she went to school with her, she seen her, she talked to her last night.”
Phelps' daughter, Andrea Johnson, 15, a sophomore at Arrowhead, said she heard many of the first responders Friday morning. "I heard the sirens this morning. I didn't think much of it, but then when I heard there was a fire where she was located I thought she was, like, fine. I really didn't think that much of it at the time, but when I started not getting responses from her ... then I started to get more worried."
Phelps, like many of the residents at Friday night’s vigil, want to know what happened at the apartment complex Friday morning. “We just really want to know what happened. What really happened? It's sad. It's heartbreaking. It's terrible."
Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko said during a news conference Friday that a criminal investigation is underway but didn't confirm if investigators believe the fire was set intentionally or maliciously.
Charolette Riege, 15, a freshman at Arrowhead, said the day has been surreal. "It's very tragic. I still can't grasp it and understand what is going on," she said. "It doesn't seem real. It's like a dream that's on replay."
Riege hopes this tragedy brings the community closer together "to care for one another."
The vigil is a testament to village residents who wanted to support and be together, Hartland Village President Jeffrey Pfannerstill said.
“We are all going through this together,” Pfannerstill said. “It’s a really strong and vibrant community, but we take things like this really hard. People are really sticking together.”
During his remarks, he thanked all the agencies including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army that came out to help the victims. Pfannerstill said an outpouring of support developed with local businesses wanting to set up donation boxes to help people who've been displaced.
The fire investigation is ongoing, but it has created a lot of sadness and fear within the village, he said. The victims of the fire have yet to be identified, but a lot of speculation exists over whom they may be.
“Is it someone’s friends? Someone close to them? Was it someone’s classmates?” Pfannerstill said. “That’s scary when you are speculating and then you don’t know. But people are in shock. And people got very afraid when they found out this was an ongoing criminal investigation – not just a fire investigation. I think that scares people."
People want answers, he said.
A total of 10 people were displaced by the fire. The American Red Cross is assisting those families, a spokesperson said Friday. A verified GoFundMe page has been set up to assist with one of those families.
La Risa Lynch is a community affairs reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Email her at llynch@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hartland residents hold vigil at Nixon Park following apartment fire
