Cause of Milwaukee Courthouse Fire Undetermined

Officials say the cause of an electrical fire at the Milwaukee County Courthouse in July may never be known.

Cost of cleanup and replacing electrical systems has topped $10 million so far.

Supervisors were told Wednesday that damage to electrical components in the courthouse basement was so severe it may be impossible to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire.

Don Tyler, the county’s director of administrative services, told a County Board committee “There’s not that much left to investigate.”

Tyler says insurance investigators have not told the county anything so far about the cause.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the last upgrade of the courthouse electrical system was done in 1965. According to a February inspection report, the system was in need of substantial upgrades.