MINNEAPOLIS — Around 20 people were forced out of their homes Wednesday morning after a fire destroyed a three-story apartment building.
Minneapolis fire crews said they responded to an apartment building in the 3500 block of Penn Avenue North just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Arriving crews found black smoke pouring from the third floor at the building on the edge of the city's Folwell neighborhood.
As crews laid lines to start fighting the fire, they learned that a child may have been trapped on the third floor.
Firefighters found the fire burning on the first floor in the laundry room and extinguished the blaze.
According to a release from Minneapolis Fire, crews located an adult and child on the third floor while they were searching the building. The two were able to walk when firefighters found them, but required treatment on scene by Hennepin County Medical Center paramedics for smoke inhalation.
Another adult was checked on the scene for possible heart-related issues. All three residents were cleared by medics on scene and didn't need to be taken to the hospital.
The entire apartment building was declared uninhabitable after significant damage from fire, smoke and water. The Red Cross was called in to help approximately 20 people, including children, who are now without a home. A Metro Transit bus was called to the scene for use as a temporary shelter.
The cause of this fire is still under investigation.
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