Inset: Keith Luko (Milwaukee Police Department). Background: The apartment building Luko allegedly set fire to in Milwaukee, Wis. (Google Maps).
A Wisconsin man was angry at his neighbors about their marijuana smoking so he decided to set their shared apartment building on fire, according to law enforcement in the Badger State.
Keith Alan Luko, 44, stands accused of one count each of arson of a building and reckless injury in the first degree as well as six counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, according to the Milwaukee Police Department.
The underlying incident occurred Friday, Jan. 17, at an apartment complex on West Fardale Avenue on the south side of Milwaukee.
That morning, flames began to lick through the hallways a few minutes past 6 a.m. Firefighters arrived around 6:30 a.m. to put out the blaze and rescue "many" second-floor residents, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Milwaukee-based Fox affiliate WITI and ABC affiliate WISN.
Inside the building, firefighters encountered "heavy fire conditions at the front (south) door landing area" and fire investigators determined the blaze "was intentionally set" after examining smoke patterns, heat damage, and electrical infrastructure, according to the complaint.
Surveillance footage pointed investigators in the defendant's direction, according to police. In one clip, Luko is seen lugging a sleigh-like device containing several personal items away from the building and to the front sidewalk well before the fire, police say. Then, the defendant returns to the building before quickly leaving again as a wall of flame rears up behind him, the footage allegedly shows.
After that, Luko allegedly fled the scene on foot.
The defendant, eventually found some 5 miles due west near the corner of West Howard Avenue and South 99th Street, allegedly admitted to setting the fire because he "was angry about his neighbors smoking marijuana" and so he "poured gasoline in the hallway" before igniting the accelerant with a lighter, according to the complaint.
In all, five people between the ages of 9 and 94 years old were hospitalized as a result of the fire, authorities said.
The 9-year-old suffered a broken pelvis due to being thrown from her second-story window to avoid the inferno, according to law enforcement. The girl's parents were also injured, coming away from the incident with cuts, bruises, and scratches, police said.
"The door was extremely hot to the touch," the child's mother told authorities. "She could smell smoke coming from the hallway."
Luko's own mother was also injured amid the resulting chaos, police said. The woman recalled being roused from sleep when Luko came inside to grab a pack of cigarettes, later heard the fire alarm, went to the living room where she saw smoke, then pushed out a window screen to "let herself down," according to the complaint. The defendant's mother ended up with scrapes and a broken ankle.
One resident was hospitalized with severe smoke inhalation while another was treated for lacerations to her legs, police said.
The building was disfigured by black soot, smoke, and charring. All eight units were left uninhabitable and some 25 people were displaced by the fire altogether, according to the Red Cross.
The building itself lacked functional sprinklers because the structure was built prior to sprinklers being made mandatory in all living spaces, according to Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski.
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