MINNEAPOLIS — A troublesome building on the near south side of Minneapolis is keeping fire crews busy Thursday morning, still smoldering after a fire that burned most of the overnight.
Firefighters were dispatched to a boarded-up building at the intersection of 5th Ave. S and 19th St. around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and arrived to find flames leaping from the second and third floor of the structure. When crews arrived they saw three people running from the building and located another 15 or so who needed to be evacuated.
An exterior attack was started as the building is considered unsafe to enter. The roof on the structure partially collapsed a few hours into the battle. At least three ladder companies are putting water on the fire from above but as of 6:30 a.m., firefighters were still encountering flare-ups.
At the height of the fire flames and smoke could be seen from miles away, and local roads have been shut down for hours to keep both fire crews and motorists safe.
The Minneapolis deputy fire chief on scene tells us they've been called to this address multiple times in the past few months, leaving questions about the soundness of the structure. Squatters starting fires in unoccupied buildings has been an ongoing problem for the department.
KARE 11 has a crew on scene and will have new details on this situation as they develop.
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