This browser does not support the Video element.
St. Paul fire may have been sparked by firework
A Saint 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.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - An 18-year-old woman is being charged with a felony for allegedly setting off a firework that sparked a grass fire, causing a St. Paul apartment building to catch on fire.
According to court records, a resident told investigators she heard fireworks outside the apartment building on July 8, and approximately five minutes later, she recorded two people pouring water on a small grass fire, but the flames quickly spread.
Firefighters responded to the building on the 1300 block of St. Paul Avenue 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.
Residents evacuated the building while fire crews battled the flames for hours. All 17 units of the building were condemned, leaving all residents in need of temporary shelter.
A witness told police she and three others, including 18-year-old Aisha Wali Abdulle had driven to the apartment building to pick someone up before heading to a party. While outside, Abdulle allegedly set off a firework in front of the car and threw it on the dry grass, and a fire started to spread, charges said.
They attempted to extinguish the flames, but to no avail, and called 911 before leaving for the party, charges explained. Abdulle allegedly told investigators the fire was not intentional.
Abdulle was charged with one count of felony negligence causing a fire. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance on Aug. 7.