Minneapolis medical clinic destroyed by fire
Demolition crews were called in Wednesday to clean up after a fire destroyed a medical clinic in Minneapolis.
Firefighters battled hot spots throughout the morning at the one-story Bloomington Lake Clinic. Firefighters finally put out the fire, and bulldozers were then called in to demolish the building, Minneapolis Assistant Fire Chief Cherie Penn said.
When crews arrived shortly before 3 a.m., there wasn't much smoke or fire, Penn said. That changed quickly, and firefighters were pulled out of the building for safety reasons, she said.
"We didn't want them in there should the roof collapse. Crews tried to go in three times unsuccessfully to fully combat the fire, and we've had to bring them out and had to commit them to a completely exterior attack," Penn said.
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The clinic is located on Bloomington Avenue between Lake and 31st streets. Penn said the Lake-Bloomington intersection would remain blocked Wednesday to allow demolition crews to do their work.
No one was hurt in the fire. A nearby duplex was evacuated because of heavy smoke, but Penn said there was no risk of the fire spreading to other buildings.
The fire is under investigation, and it was too early for investigators to speculate on what might have caused the fire, Penn said.
The Bloomington Lake Clinic is a family medicine practice that has a second location in Bloomington. Penn said its clinic in Minneapolis has been a part of the neighborhood for many years.