More Than Two Dozen People Displaced Following Minneapolis Apartment Fire: 'Really Lucky That No One Died Here Tonight'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- More than two dozen people were displaced following an overnight apartment fire in north Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Police Department says crews responded around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday to the apartment complex on the 3600 block of Penn Avenue North. Those who called 911 said they were trapped in their apartments.
Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene, as it was near a fire station. Crews encountered about a dozen people on their balconies, as the fire had filled the apartment hallway and stairwells with smoke.
Deputy Fire Chief Kathleen Mullen said crews used ladders to rescue people from the balconies. No one was seriously hurt, although one person suffered smoke inhalation while trying to escape through the hallway.
"We got really lucky that no one died here tonight," Mullen said.
Firefighters knocked down the flames in about an hour. The fire affected eight units, including one that was totally gutted.
The Red Cross says it is working with 26 people displaced by the fire, providing shelter, food, clothing and medications. According to Mullen, precautions were also taken to combat the possible spread of COVID-19.