St. Paul apartment fire displaces 30 residents, may have been sparked by fireworks

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul apartment building was extensively damaged and all its residents were displaced when a grass fire, likely caused by fireworks, spread to the structure on Saturday evening.

The St. Paul Fire Department reported that firefighters were dispatched to the 1300 block of St. Paul Avenue at approximately 4:19 p.m., where they encountered a grass fire that had spread to trees and then the apartment building, eventually reaching the attic space above the third-floor apartments, according to a press release.

Firefighters from the Saint Paul Fire Department combat a major blaze at a Saint Paul Avenue apartment building on July 8. (Image courtesy of the St. Paul Fire Department) 

Wind gusts of 22 miles per hour and dry conditions reportedly exacerbated the fire, accelerating its spread, but firefighters were able to evacuate the building and extinguish the flames over the course of five hours, fire officials said.

The Department of Safety and Inspections condemned all 17 units of the building, leaving all residents in need of temporary shelter. Residents were briefly allowed to reenter their units to retrieve items, and the Red Cross responded to provide assistance. 

The charred roof of a Saint Paul Avenue apartment building following a fire on Saturday, July 8, suspected to have been ignited by fireworks. (Image courtesy of the St. Paul Fire Department)

Investigators discovered firework debris near the fire's origin point, and residents recalled hearing fireworks shortly before seeing the flames. The St. Paul Police Department is now assisting the fire department in the ongoing investigation.

The incident required a significant response from local emergency services, with 12 fire companies, four chief officers, two ambulances, and over 60 fire department personnel spending over five hours on the scene. No injuries were reported.