MINNEAPOLIS — A local food kitchen that has been serving the south Minneapolis community for the last 40 years is in shambles after a fire tore through the building Wednesday night.
According to Minneapolis Fire, crews were called to the 600 block of 7th Street South around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. When they arrived at the address across the street from the Hennepin County Medical Center, firefighters realized they were fighting a fire at the House of Charity.
A KARE 11 crew on the scene said the flames were licking out of the roof to heights of 15-20 feet within minutes of their arrival around 10:45 p.m.
Fire crews reported that there was so much fire in the building that they needed to get out, and attack the blaze from the exterior with an aerial water tower.
It took around an hour to bring the fire under control.
Assistant Minneapolis Fire Chief Wesley Vanvickle said no one was injured in the blaze.
KARE 11 spoke with the House of Charity's director, Daryl Lewis at the scene, and he said no one was in the building when the fire broke out.
Lewis said the kitchen has served the Minneapolis community for the last 40 years, and he's been the director for the past three. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to between 200-300 people on average every day.
He said an employee called him to tell him about the fire Wednesday night, and at first he thought they were joking.
"I thought it was a joke. And then I realized that he was serious," Lewis said. "I rushed down to see for myself, and I just couldn't believe it."
Lewis was worried about what would happen to the community, but said they'll try to continue to serve those who rely on the House of Charity for food and a chance to warm up after being out in the bitter cold.
"You know, it's just it's heartbreaking...obviously something like this happened, and I'm wondering how to continue to feed these people. But we're going to make it happen some kind of way."
Staff at St. Stephen’s/House of Charity are asking for financial support to not only rebuild the Food Centre but to provide meals to the community in the meantime.
You can give here: www.ststephensmpls.org/donate
They went on to say, “We are working as fast as we can to determine when the Food Centre will reopen.
For those who rely on our daily meals, our partners at Catholic Charities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis will be filling in the gaps with their daily meals at the Opportunity Center on 17th Street.”
Watch more about the fire that damaged a Minneapolis nonprofit here: