"The child would have died of smoke inhalation if they had waited," Payne said.
The baby and her 27-year-old mother were taken to hospitals. Milwaukee police Capt. Gregory Habeck said the mother was in critical condition at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee with burns over more than 25% of her body. The infant was being treated for smoke inhalation at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa.
The fire was reported about 4:45 a.m. by a Milwaukee police officer on patrol.
When firefighters arrived, according to Payne, they found the mother outside burned and crying that her baby was trapped.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Payne estimated damage at $30,000 to the building and $10,000 to its contents.
Man fatally shot outside gas station
A 23-year-old man was fatally shot Saturday afternoon outside the Citgo gas station at 4811 N. Teutonia Ave., Milwaukee police said.
Police Capt. Gregory Habeck said the man had just arrived at the station about 12:50 p.m. when someone with a gun approached his car. The two struggled, and the 23-year-old was shot.
Police were searching Saturday for two males in connection with the incident.
11 treated for exposure to carbon monoxide
Four Milwaukee firefighters and at least seven other people needed hospital treatment after being exposed to carbon monoxide early Saturday on the city's south side, the Milwaukee Fire Department said.
The victims ranged in age from 13 to 35.
The four firefighters were treated and released, a battalion chief said.
Firefighters were called about 6:30 a.m. to a home in the 3400 block of W. Oklahoma Ave., where they found initial carbon monoxide levels to be fairly high. The firefighters were exposed while taking residents from the home.
We Energies was called to shut off gas service as a precaution, but utility spokesman Brian Manthey said the cause appeared to be a vehicle running in a garage.
Although it was not the cause of this incident, We Energies is encouraging property owners to ensure that furnace vents are cleared of snow. Vents are often found near where the gas service enters the home, he said.
Man shot by police released from hospital
The 21-year-old Milwaukee man shot in the chest by an officer trying to arrest him late Friday on sex assault charges, was treated and released to police custody, Milwaukee police said.
The 32-year-old officer, with three years on the force, has been placed on administrative duty pending an investigation.
Police said the 21-year-old was shot after pulling a knife on officers who had come to arrest him at a home in the 3900 block of N. 28th St. He faces multiple charges of sexual assault of two children.
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Written by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel