Shots fired into Milwaukee fire station, forcing it to close

Gunfire struck a Milwaukee Fire Department fire station on the west side Friday afternoon, forcing the station to close, fire department officials said.

Multiple shots were fired into Engine Co. 13 at 2901 N. 30th St. about 1 p.m., a news release from the department said.

No department members were injured. Firefighters assigned to the station will respond from Fire Station 5, 1313 W. Reservoir Ave., beginning at 8 a.m., Saturday, as Engine Co. 13 will be closed until further notice, the release said.

Milwaukee police are investigating the incident, the release said.

"It's one of those things that you just can't believe is happening," Assistant Milwaukee Fire Chief Gerard Washington said.

"This is not what we're used to. We're the ones who show up to treat people wounded by gunfire. We're the ones who are here to help the public."

Four firefighters were in the station when bullets entered the firehouse through several windows, while other bullets struck the outside of the building, Washington said.

"They were very fortunate they were not struck," said Washington, who doesn't remember a time in his 25-year career that a fire station or firefighters were the targets of gunfire.

In July 2015, a 46-year-old firefighter suffered a graze wound to the right side of his head when someone shot in the direction of first responders at a medical emergency near N. 40th St. and W. Lisbon Ave.

The shots were fired from an alley and several rounds also struck an ambulance, but police did not believe the firefighters were targeted.

Engine Co. 13 is one of the busiest fire stations in the city, with 5,123 total runs in 2015, according to fire department data.

Though the engine company will be assigned to Co. 5, two other fire stations are within two blocks of Engine 13, Washington said.

Eighth District Ald. Bob Donovan, who chairs the Common Council's Public Safety Committee, said he was "appalled and sickened" by the shooting.

"The Milwaukee Fire Department personnel working there are the very people who do their duty every day to save lives – and they are being shot at?" Donovan said in a statement.

Ashley Luthern of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story.