Loretto apartment fire: 2 people rescued from third floor

LORETTO, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two people were rescued from a third-floor apartment during a fire in Loretto early Tuesday morning. 

The fire started around 2 a.m. in a basement unit at 201 Medina Street in Loretto, located in western Hennepin County. About a dozen neighboring fire departments responded to the three-alarm blaze. 

When crews arrived, there was smoke and flames showing from the five-unit, three-story apartment building. Loretto Fire Chief Jeff Leuer says the building has the type of construction that allowed the fire to run up the walls, trapping two residents on the building's top floor. 

"We also had on the third story of the building. We had people, two people hanging out the windows that we had to rescue. We did a rescue on those two people and we're able to get them down — ladder them down. They ended up safe and sound," Leuer said. 

The fire was under control by 2:45 a.m. The cause is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, American Red Cross has been called in to help those impacted by the blaze.