Milwaukee barbershop catches fire; cleanup underway

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee south side barbershop recently caught fire. Now, employees are back at work, dealing with the aftermath.

“We were working and all of a sudden we see smoke coming out,” said Joel Quintanilla, with the La Tijera salon. “We got scared. We were the only two barbers here and  we all just ran out.”

The fire happened on Wednesday, May 22.

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They are cleaning up damage while still cutting hair, even without electricity.

The Milwaukee Fire Department said no one was hurt, and the Milwaukee Police Department said the fire is still under investigation.

But it isn’t the first fire in the neighborhood near 13th and Cleveland. Just down the road, about a month and a half ago, the owner’s other location also caught on fire and left with severe damages.

MPD said the cause of that fire is undetermined.

Milwaukee Fire Battalion Chief Thomas Sells said preparation is key in these incidents.

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“Every business by law is required to have an emergency action plan or evacuation action plan not only for their employees but also for people that may be in the business,” Sells said.

He also said businesses need to have working smoke detectors, schedule routine maintenance for their equipment and have clearly marked exit signs.

“Thank God no one got hurt and it didn’t reach extremes,” Quintanilla said.