Investigation Into Oak Creek Fire Begins

Updated 7:25 a.m. Thursday

An investigation into an Oak Creek garage fire has begun.

According to Oak Creek city records, Imad Sarsour is the property owner at 10130 S. Warwick Drive, the site of a fire that broke out about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

He is related to Jamil Sarsour, the listed owner of the property at 1227 W. Vliet St. in Milwaukee where a massive five-alarm fire began earlier Wednesday morning.

Imad Sarsour also owns property in the 1200 block of W. Vliet St., according to property records.

Neither Imad nor Jamil Sarsour, who made headlines back in 2003 for alleged ties to killings in Israel, could be reached for comment Wednesday. 

According to CBS 58, the family released a statement saying "there is no reason for us to believe that the fires were anything other than accidental or electrical in origin." Click here for more.

Oak Creek Battalion Chief Joe Pulvermacher said investigators have started looking into what caused the fire. Law enforcement officers were seen back at the house Wednesday night.

The Oak Creek fire caused major damage to the garage. When firefighters arrived, they concentrated mostly on the house to prevent further damage, Pulvermacher said.

"When we got on scene the garage was pretty well involved," he said.

The house did not escape unscathed, sustaining smoke damage and some damage in the attic.

The family living in the home was accounted for when the department got there, Pulvermacher said.

The requested help from several area departments due in part to the Vliet Street fire, which stretched Milwaukee-area fire units thin. Some 150 firefighters spent several hours getting that blaze under control.

Oak Creek also got extra backup due to Wednesday's hot weather conditions. With the temperature in the mid 90s and strong humidity along with it, departments from as far away as Wauwatosa and the North Shore responded.

"The main thing that you need to do is make sure you have enough people to replenish the firefighters that are inside," Pulvermacher said. "The last thing you want to do is work someone to exhaustion to the point they're not effective for the rest of the day."