What happened?
An illegal fire burned an estimated 8 acres of Three Bridges Park on Tuesday morning. The fire spread quickly through the Park due to the high wind speeds and dry conditions, burning areas between the 35th St. and 27th St. viaducts.

Was anyone hurt?
We are happy to share that no one was hurt in the fire. Although Three Bridges Park can often be bursting with visitors, at the time of the fire there were few people in the park and those that were nearby were able to leave the area quickly.

Was anything damaged?
There was only minor damage to some benches, signs, and the boardwalk in the park. We are so grateful for the Milwaukee Fire Department’s quick response to put the fire out.

How did the fire start?
At this moment we believe that the fire was intentionally started in the park and the Milwaukee Police Department has apprehended a suspect. According to this Fox6 Milwaukee report, Police say he intentionally lit some of the prairie grass along the Hank Aaron State Trail before flames burned through parts of Three Bridges Park. We are awaiting an official report from MPD.

Was the habitat damaged?
Fortunately, the prairie habitat we steward in Three Bridges Park is naturally fire-adaptive and will recover completely over the growing season. Fire is normal in wild prairies, but an illegal fire like this one should never take place in an urban area.

If you see an illegal fire, please call 911 and report it immediately.