Mom Threw Young Daughter Out of Burning Apartment Building to Save Her. Now She's in the ICU and Neighbor Is Accused of Arson By Christina Coulter

A Milwaukee mother remains in intensive care after she pushed her 9-year-old daughter from a second-story window to save her from a burning apartment, as another resident of the building now faces multiple felony charges in connection with the fire.

The blaze broke out just after 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 16 at the building located on Fardale Avenue near South 27th Street and Loomis Road on the city’s south side, according to FOX6 Milwaukee, WISN and CBS 58.

Five people were hurt, per the outlets.

The mother was identified as Kessy, 28, and her daughter as Ni’Lah, 9, according to a GoFundMe created by a family member.

Kessy and Ni’Lah were trapped on the second floor as smoke filled the hallway, which was the only exit from their unit — prompting Kessy to push her daughter out of the window in a desperate attempt to save her life, FOX6 Milwaukee and CBS 58 reported, with WISN confirming the circumstances of the escape.

A neighbor who had gone outside saw what was happening and managed to catch Ni’Lah before she hit the ground, the outlets reported.

“She’s pushing her daughter out the second floor,” Diana Falcon, Ni’Lah’s grandmother, told CBS 58. “At this point, it’s safer to throw her from the second story on the ground than for her to burn alive.”

Ni’Lah was treated at a hospital and later released with a leg injury and minor smoke inhalation, FOX6 Milwaukee and WISN reported.

A different child who escaped the fire by jumping from a window suffered a broken pelvis, while other victims were hospitalized with injuries including severe smoke inhalation and lacerations, according to WKRC. The injured ranged in age from 9 to 64 years old, per the outlet.

Kessy remains in the ICU under heavy sedation and on breathing tubes, according to FOX6 Milwaukee and WISN.

Firefighters responding to the scene were forced to rescue multiple residents from second-floor windows, with some jumping to escape the smoke and flames, the outlets reported.

Investigators later arrested 44-year-old Keith Luko, also a resident of the building, in connection with the fire, per the outlets.

According to a criminal complaint, surveillance video allegedly showed Luko moving personal belongings out of the building hours before the fire and then fleeing the scene as flames erupted behind him, FOX6 Milwaukee, WKRC and WISN reported.

After his arrest, Luko allegedly admitted to pouring gasoline in the hallway and igniting it with a lighter, telling investigators he was angry that his neighbors were smoking marijuana inside the building, according to the complaint, per the outlets.

He has been charged with eight felonies — including arson, first-degree reckless injury and six counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

PEOPLE reached out to an attorney representing Luko but did not immediately hear back.

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The fire left all eight units in the building unlivable, displacing an estimated 25 residents, according to the Red Cross, per FOX6.

“In a matter of minutes, everything my sister’s family owned was destroyed,” the fundraiser started by Kessy’s family read. “While the lost physical items can be replaced, some were irreplaceable personal items.”