Crews battle 2 St. Paul business fires on same block hours apart
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Paul firefighters fought back-to-back fires Wednesday at businesses on the same block.
The first fire broke out at about 6 a.m. at 52 Market and Trading on Wednesday, a Southeast Asian grocery store located on the 900 block of Arcade Street.
Crews initially observed a small fire outside that was quickly extinguished, the fire department said in a Facebook post.
RELATED: Fire detected in Superior National Forest believed to be caused by lightning
Upon further investigation, crews believe that the fire started inside the store earlier in the morning. With no oxygen, the fire started to decay inside the store. When crews entered to investigate, the fire was reintroduced to oxygen, which reignited the flames.
Crews fought the fire for more than two hours until they finally got smoke and fire conditions under control.
The store is believed to have been unoccupied at the time of the fire and no injuries have been reported, officials said.
Later in the afternoon, a fire started inside a building across the street. The business was closed, and firefighters say no one was hurt.
The fires remain under investigation, and officials have not said whether they are connected.
